NAGO, Okinawa -- The government performed work off the coast of Henoko district here on April 3 as part of preparations to relocate U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in the prefecture city of Ginowan, officials said.
This is the first time that the central government has conducted relevant work off Henoko since the prefectural government's permission to crush rock reefs in the area expired on March 31. The central government had declared that it would continue the work in April and later on the grounds that it does not need to gain permission to do so from the prefectural government, noting that the local fishermen's cooperative has abandoned its fishing rights in the area.
In response to the state's move, the Okinawa Prefectural Government dispatched vessels to areas surrounding the site to confirm if rock reefs have been crushed, creating heightened tensions between the national and prefectural governments over the relocation of the U.S. base.
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