Okinawa governor revokes permit for U.S. military move

TOKYO, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- The governor of Okinawa is revoking the permit for a U.S. military base relocation.

Takeshi Onaga, who was elected in November 2014 on a platform opposing the U.S. military presence on the island, said at a news conference Tuesday that there were "legal flaws" with a permit that his predecessor issued, The New York Times reported.

"I have sent notice that I am revoking permission," Onaga said. The governor wants the U.S. Marine base removed entirely from Okinawa, where his supporters associate American presence with accidents and crime, the BBC reported.

Dozens of protesters outside Camp Schwab, an existing U.S. military facility on Henoko Bay, welcomed Onaga's announcement with cheers.

Their response, however, may be premature. Japan's NHK reported the regional defense ministry bureau is expected to file a legal challenge against the Okinawa governor's decision, and the Times reported Tokyo's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has the final say over the governor's decision to revoke.

"There is no change to our plan to continue with construction in order to prepare for relocation," said government spokesman Yoshihide Suga.

Onaga's policy delivers yet another blow to a 20-year effort by U.S. and Japanese military planners to move the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to a more remote part of Okinawa. Plans to significantly expand Camp Schwab also would be affected – the original plan was to extend new runways into the bay.

The United States and Japan previously agreed to reduce the 18,000 Marines in Okinawa to 10,000 in the next 10 years, and Tokyo and Washington have been working closely since Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has presided over military policy.

Under Abe, restrictions on arms exports have been lifted, and Japan's pacifist Constitution has been revised to allows Japanese troops to fight overseas.