Okinawa governor threatens to pull plug on landfill work for Futenma replacement

In an escalation of his battle with the central government, Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga suggested Monday he may revoke earlier permission for the destruction of reefs in the course of land reclamation for the replacement base for the Futenma airfield.

Speaking at a news conference in the prefectural capital of Naha, Onaga said he has requested the Okinawa Defense Bureau to suspend any act that changes the status quo of the seabed and warned he may revoke the permission unless the bureau stops the work within a week.

Site preparation so far has included dropping huge concrete blocks onto the seabed weighing 15 to 45 tons, which will anchor buoys demarcating the construction zone.

Local media reported that some of the blocks appeared to have crushed coral growths.

At his news conference, Onaga demanded that the central government halt the work within a week so that the prefectural government can check out the reports.

An Okinawa official reached by phone told The Japan Times that Onaga was asked at the news conference whether he would revoke permission.

Ive already made up my mind, Onaga replied, according to the official.

The remark was widely interpreted as meaning he will annul the permit if Tokyo continues with the construction work without pausing to assess the possible coral damage.

The central government appears likely to ignore it. Also Monday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said in Tokyo that the government will not stop any part of its construction work in Henoko, including an ongoing drilling survey, whatever actions the Okinawa Prefectural Government might take.

We will just calmly go ahead with the work, Suga told his regularly scheduled news conference.

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Okinawa governor threatens to pull plug on landfill work for Futenma replacement