Fox News reports that “Japan’s government has violated the rights of Okinawa’s residents for decades by allowing a heavy presence of American troops on the tiny southern island, Okinawa’s governor told a court hearing Wednesday, the start of a legal battle over plans to relocate a U.S. air base.”  

“The dispute over the air base escalated into a legal battle after Japan’s government filed a lawsuit against Okinawan Gov. Takeshi Onaga, seeking to overturn his cancellation of an earlier local approval for land reclamation needed for the base’s relocation.”  

“The long-stalled plan would move the U.S. Marine Air Station Futenma from a densely populated neighborhood to the island’s seaside Henoko Bay. But many residents want the base moved out of the prefecture and have picketed the area, trying to prevent construction equipment from entering.”