Thursday, December 29, 2016

Okinawa: Work Resumes on Controversial Military Runway | Military.com

Okinawa: Work Resumes on Controversial Military Runway | Military.com: Work resumed Tuesday on a controversial new U.S. military runway after local opposition shut down the project for 10 months.

Workers began preparing to reset floats around the construction area in Oura Bay at Henoko, according to Okinawa Defense Bureau officials.

The move came a day Gov. Takeshi Onaga abided by Japanese court rulings and retracted his cancellation order on a landfill permit for the runway. The permit was issued by his predecessor as part of the process of closing Marine Corps Air Station Futenma and relocating it to Camp Schwab.

"In accordance with the final decision by the Supreme Court, the government will carry out the landfill work," Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Monday. "To reduce the burden and potential danger associated with the military presence, as well as maintaining its deterrence power, moving the operations to Henoko is the only solution."