European Knight
03-26-2015, 05:41 PM
A clash between Japan's central government and Okinawa island, host to the bulk of U.S. troops in Japan, deepened on Monday when the southern island's governor ordered a halt to underwater work at the site of a planned relocation of a U.S. Marine base.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government and Okinawa have been on a collision course since anti-base conservative Takeshi Onaga was elected governor last November and ruling party candidates were trounced in a December general election.
Onaga told a news conference that he was ordering local defense ministry officials to halt the underwater survey work, which the prefecture fears is harming local coral reefs, a prefecture official said.
If those activities are not stopped within a week, Onaga may rescind approval for drilling operations given by his predecessor in December 2012, he said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/23/us-japan-usa-okinawa-idUSKBN0MJ0P220150323
http://s4.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20150323&t=2&i=1034609655&w=580&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl=&r=LYNXMPEB2M0BT
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government and Okinawa have been on a collision course since anti-base conservative Takeshi Onaga was elected governor last November and ruling party candidates were trounced in a December general election.
Onaga told a news conference that he was ordering local defense ministry officials to halt the underwater survey work, which the prefecture fears is harming local coral reefs, a prefecture official said.
If those activities are not stopped within a week, Onaga may rescind approval for drilling operations given by his predecessor in December 2012, he said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/23/us-japan-usa-okinawa-idUSKBN0MJ0P220150323
http://s4.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20150323&t=2&i=1034609655&w=580&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl=&r=LYNXMPEB2M0BT