Tokyo files lawsuit against Okinawa over US air base

National govt seeks to overturn local decision

The Japanese government took the local government in Okinawa to court on Tuesday, launching a legal battle in their long-standing dispute over the planned relocation of a US military air base on the southern island.

A lawsuit filed in a regional high court in Okinawa seeks an injunction to overturn Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga's recent decision to cancel a previously issued approval for land reclamation work for the base relocation.