TOKYO, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday that he will accept a court-proposed settlement deal with the prefectural government of Okinawa, aimed at bringing an end to a protracted legal spat over landfill work for the planned relocation of a U.S. military base within Japan's southernmost prefecture.
The latest deal has been provisionally accepted by both the central and Okinawa prefectural government, with the prime minister stating he wants the dispute resolved in an equitable manner.
Abe informed his cabinet ministers of his decision on Friday related to the court's settlement plan, that advises the central government and prefectural government of Okinawa to drop all lawsuits filed against each other, of which there are three, and return to face-to-face negotiations on the controversial relocation issue.
Abe said he wants the relocation plan and the necessary landfill work required for the construction of a new facility to replace the U.S. Marine Corps' Air Station Futenma, in the Henoko coastal region of Nago, to be resolved with Okinawa officials amicably, with the prime minister stating that he had ordered the suspension of contentious landfill work in Henoko.
The prime minister said if the legal battle continued, it could run on for years with no way through the impasse.
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