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| Futenma Air Station |
TOKYO — An emotional dispute between Japan’s government and the defiant southern island of Okinawa went to court on Wednesday, as Tokyo tries to build a new US military base there despite local opposition.
A lawsuit filed by the central government last month aims to force Okinawan governor Takeshi Onaga to let construction go ahead for the facility.
It is meant to replace an existing air base located in a crowded urban area of Okinawa and widely seen as a potential danger to nearby residents.
Japan and the United States have been struggling for nearly 20 years to move the base to a remote part of the island. But they have been stymied by local officials, who say Okinawa bears too heavy a burden in supporting the decades-long security treaty between the two countries.
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