Bickering over Henoko landfill start continues

Although the administration of Governor Takeshi Onaga has requested the central government to withdraw a partial blueprint on the construction of embankments for the V-shaped runways on the MCAS Futenma relocation site off Camp Schwab, the central government intends to begin the reclamation work regardless whether it has the consent from the prefectural government or not.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga stated at a press conference Wednesday that the government does not believe that failure to gain the prefecture’s consent would prevent it from starting the reclamation work.

The Okinawa Defense Bureau submitted blueprints for 12 of the planned 22 embankments to the prefectural government a week ago, but the prefectural government insists that discussions between the prefecture and the central government should be conducted only after they have been provided with the full blueprints covering the whole project. Governor Onaga complains that partial plans are not enough to enable the prefectural officials to make a complete assessment on the environmental impact of the project.

However, Suga is rejecting Onaga’s request, and insists that the existing designs are enough to hold required prior consultations on the reclamation work.

04:41 29 Mar , 2024