Okinawa rejects central gov't demand over U.S. base landfill

The governor of Japan's Okinawa on Wednesday rejected the central government's demand to approve its modified plan on landfill work for the relocation of a key U.S. base within the southern island prefecture.In a letter addressed to the government, Gov. Denny Tamaki said it was "difficult to approve" the modified plan to reinforce soft ground at a designated construction site by the Wednesday deadline.Tamaki's decision is likely to prompt Tokyo to adopt a stricter approach and move forward with a procedure that allows the land minister, rather than the governor, to approve the plan, officia…READ FULL ARTICLE