NAHA, Japan (Kyodo) -- The Okinawa prefectural government filed a fresh lawsuit against the central government on Monday, seeking a halt in the ongoing construction work for the relocation of a U.S. air base within the southern island prefecture.
The latest lawsuit underscores longtime odds between the central and local governments over the plan to relocate U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan to the less populated Henoko coastal area of Nago, partly by reclaiming land off the coastal area.
The move follows a Supreme Court ruling last December that the governor's attempt to revoke his predecessor's 2013 decision to approve land reclamation work was illegal.
In the fresh lawsuit, the prefectural government argues that the central government is acting illegally without securing permission from the governor for work that involves damaging rock on the seabed where fishing rights have been granted.
It also filed an injunction to block the construction work before the court hands down a ruling.
Read the full story at The Mainichi