Okinawa loses legal battle with central government over U.S. base landfill

Japan's top court on Monday turned down an appeal by Okinawa Prefecture against the central government's order, which will allow it to proceed with landfill work for the relocation of a key U.S. base within the southern island prefecture.The Supreme Court's First Petty Bench has upheld the Fukuoka High Court's Naha branch ruling, confirming the central government's authority to instruct the local government to approve modifications to its plans aimed at reinforcement of soft ground at a designated construction site.Following the unanimous decision of the five justices, top government spokes…READ FULL ARTICLE