Military.com reports that “citing noise concerns, residents from two Okinawan villages have filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government to end construction of U.S. military helipads in a remote northern training area.”

“The landing zones are being built to relocate and consolidate the U.S. military presence in the northern Okinawa jungles so that 4,000 of the Northern Training Area’s 7,542 hectares can be handed back to Japanese control in the largest land return since 1972.”

“Protesters have descended upon the project in an effort to force Tokyo’s hand to make greater effort in reducing U.S. troop numbers on the island.”