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Okinawa Blocks Approval For US Air Base Move

Okinawa Blocks Approval For US Air Base Move

Okinawa's governor has revoked approval for work needed to relocate a US air base from one part of the island to another.

Residents object to living close to US Marine Air Station Futenma and have said they want the base moved off Okinawa island altogether.

The current proposals would see the base moved to a less-developed part of the island, called Henoko.

Governor Takeshi Onaga was elected in 2014 on a promise to fight against the move.

He revoked the approval given by his predecessor in 2013 on the grounds of "legal defects".

On Tuesday, Mr Onaga said: "I will work to keep my promise not to allow another base in Henoko.

"The permit was flawed. We decided that rescinding it was reasonable."

But Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga rejected the decision, and said the base must be moved for safety reasons.

He said: "There is no change in our plan to proceed with the work.

"We are a county of law, and based on the concept of administrative continuity, we believe it's only natural to go ahead with the construction."

The government suspended land reclamation work on 10 August to allow for a month of talks with the Okinawan government.

But the two sides - which have been involved in two decades of political fighting - were unable to agree and the reclamation work resumed in September despite protests.

Defence minister General Nakatani said work on the Henoko site would be suspended, but will restart as soon as possible.

Okinawa is home to more than half of the 50,000 US troops stationed in Japan and US bases occupy nearly a fifth of the land on the main island.

The local government has claimed they are a drain on the economy, employing only 1.4% of its workers.

Futenma's airfield is surrounded by a largely residential area, sparking safety concerns.

Okinawa was also the site of bloody battles near the end of World War Two, with many residents resenting any US military presence at all.

The row has seen protests across Japan and could present a threat to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ratings ahead of an election in 2016.

The US has said it is committed to relocating the base.

It agreed with Japan to close the base in 1996, but the move has stalled because of the political row.