Okinawa retracts approval of landfill work for U.S. base transfer

Okinawa Prefecture retracted Friday its approval of landfill work for the relocation of a key U.S. military base as instructed by the late Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga, citing illegality in the procedure.Withdrawal of the 2013 approval given by Onaga's predecessor affects the U.S.-Japan plan to transfer U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma within Okinawa Prefecture, rather than elsewhere as demanded by many Okinawa residents angry about crimes and accidents involving U.S. military personnel.The retraction calls into question the legality of the landfill work. As Tokyo is highly likely to tak…READ FULL ARTICLE