Governor taking time to decide on Henoko landfill

Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima has said that he will be ready to make a decision on the government’s landfill application towards the end of the year.

Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima says he will decide as early as November whether to approve landfill work necessary for the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Marine Corps Air Station within this southernmost prefecture.

Nakaima told at a press conference that he hopes to make a decision between November and January on the landfill work. The Japanese government plans to transfer the Futenma base in Ginowan to the Henoko coastal area in Nago under an accord with the United States.

When the government applied for a landfill permit, the Okinawa governor said that a decision was expected to take eight to 10 months. The government’s application documents have been open for public inspection since June 28th.  After three weeks of public inspection, the Okinawa prefectural government will start to examine the request.

10:59 29 Mar , 2024