By SATSUKI TANAHASHI/ Staff Writer
August 20, 2024 at 17:37 JST
NAGO, Okinawa Prefecture—The Defense Ministry on Aug. 20 began driving piles to solidify the soft seabed in Oura Bay on the north side of Henoko for the controversial relocation of a U.S. air station within Okinawa Prefecture.
Construction is now in full swing in areas with weak seabed for the relocation of U.S. Futenma Air Station in Ginowan to the Henoko district in Nago, also in the prefecture.
The Okinawa Defense Bureau had applied to change the design of the construction work on the north side of Henoko to shore up the soft seabed.
But the prefectural government refused to approve the ministry-proposed changes, citing insufficient ground surveys and other reasons.
In December 2023, the land minister granted approval by proxy on behalf of Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki, an unusual “substitute execution” that legally allowed the construction work to proceed.
In response, the bureau began construction of a material storage area in January.
The bureau had told the prefectural government that full-scale construction would begin on or after Aug. 1.
The Defense Ministry will drive piles into the ground at depths of up to 70 meters below the sea surface to solidify the seabed. Then, the ministry will fill the area with sand and soil to reclaim the land from the sea.
On the other hand, the prefectural government has pointed out that the portion of the seabed that needs to be shored up may extend 90 meters below the surface.
Even if construction proceeds as planned by the ministry, it is estimated that the work will take about 12 years before the replacement facility is ready for use.
In 2013, the then Okinawa governor approved an application for land reclamation by the Defense Ministry.
In 2018, the ministry dumped earth and sand on the south side of Henoko, one-fourth of the planned area to be reclaimed. The land has already been reclaimed.
The prefectural government had opposed the construction. But in September 2023, the prefectural government lost a lawsuit over the rejection of a design change application at the Supreme Court.
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Pile driving work starts in Oura Bay on the north side of Henoko in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, on Aug. 20. (Naoko Kawamura)
