January 10, 2014
Seeking withdrawal of the Okinawa governor’s approval for landfill work to relocate the U.S. military’s Futenma base within the prefecture, residents announced on January 9 their intent to file a lawsuit against the prefectural government.
Within two weeks since Governor Nakaima Hirokazu approved the national government’s request to reclaim waters off the Henoko district of Nago City for the construction of a new U.S. military base, 126 Okinawans decided to join the lawsuit as plaintiffs. The number is expected to increase, according to their lawyers.
They argue that the national government’s request and the governor’s approval for the landfill work are in violation of the Act on Reclamation of Publicly-owned Water Surface, which stipulates that such projects must give full consideration to environmental conservation.
At a press conference in the prefectural government office building, plaintiffs’ head Ashitomi Hiroshi, who also represents a local group in Nago City against the U.S. base construction, said, “As residents of Nago City, we can never tolerate the governor’s outrageous act which ridicules Okinawans.”
Within two weeks since Governor Nakaima Hirokazu approved the national government’s request to reclaim waters off the Henoko district of Nago City for the construction of a new U.S. military base, 126 Okinawans decided to join the lawsuit as plaintiffs. The number is expected to increase, according to their lawyers.
They argue that the national government’s request and the governor’s approval for the landfill work are in violation of the Act on Reclamation of Publicly-owned Water Surface, which stipulates that such projects must give full consideration to environmental conservation.
At a press conference in the prefectural government office building, plaintiffs’ head Ashitomi Hiroshi, who also represents a local group in Nago City against the U.S. base construction, said, “As residents of Nago City, we can never tolerate the governor’s outrageous act which ridicules Okinawans.”
