Digital Edition Extra: Supreme Court dismisses Okinawa’s appeal in Henoko lawsuit 2016/12/20

December 20, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo Digital Edition

 U.S. Camp Schwab and Oura Bay on the afternoon of December 14, 2016 taken from off the coast of Henoko, Nago City by a Ryukyu Shimpo chartered helicopter

On the afternoon of December 20, the Second Petty Bench of the Supreme Court, presided over by Judge Kaoru Onimaru, dismissed Okinawa’s appeal in the lawsuit brought against Okinawa by the national government to have Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga’s cancellation of approval to reclaim land in Henoko, Nago City declared illegal. The Supreme Court accepted the national government’s claims and reaffirmed the ruling by the Naha branch of the Fukuoka High Court that Onaga’s cancellation of the approval was illegal. In light of the ruling, Governor Onaga is expected to “cancel” the cancellation before the year ends, and the national government intends to resume land reclamation construction as early as the beginning of next year.

Meanwhile, Governor Onaga has expressed his intention to maintain his stance of blocking construction of a new base in Henoko, and the confrontation between the prefectural and national governments over the new base construction has entered a new phase.

Car transporting Okinawa’s representatives into the Supreme Court around 2:20 p.m. on December 20

In the first trial in the lawsuit to have the Okinawan governor’s “inaction” declared illegal, the Naha Branch of the Fukuoka High Court ruled on September 16 that Governor Onaga’s cancellation of the approval was illegal, its ruling accepting the claims of the national government, which called on the court to confirm the illegality of the approval cancellation, in their entirety. The Okinawa prefectural government objected to the ruling and appealed on September 23. On December 12, the Supreme Court determined that it would reach a verdict without holding any hearings, and used a portion of the prefectural government’s petition for acceptance of final appeal regarding judicial precedents and violation of laws and regulations as the subject of its deliberations.  Regarding the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to Henoko, then-Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima approved the Okinawa Defense Bureau’s application for approval of land reclamation on December 27, 2013. Governor Onaga, who was elected campaigning on the promise to block the Henoko new base construction, cancelled the approval on October 13, 2015. After the national and prefectural governments came to an out-of-court settlement in a separate “proxy execution” lawsuit where the national government sought a court ruling permitting it to approve the land reclamation in place of the prefectural government, the national government filed the present “declaration of illegality of inaction” lawsuit at the Naha branch of the Fukuoka High Court on July 22, 2016.

(English translation by T&CT and Sandi Aritza)

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Digital Edition Extra: Supreme Court dismisses Okinawa’s appeal in Henoko lawsuit

December 20, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo Digital Edition

【電子号外】辺野古 沖縄県が敗訴　最高裁、上告退ける

琉球新報　2016年12月20日 15:03 

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翁長雄志知事による名護市辺野古の埋め立て承認取り消しを巡り、国が県を相手に提起した不作為の違法確認訴訟で、最高裁第２小法廷（鬼丸かおる裁判長）は２０日午後、上告審の判決を言い渡し、県の上告を退けた。国の請求を認め、承認取り消しは違法だとした福岡高裁那覇支部の判決が確定した。判決を受けて翁長知事は年内にも承認取り消しを「取り消す」見通しで、国は年明けにも埋め立て工事を再開する構えだ。一方で、翁長知事は辺野古への新基地建設阻止の姿勢を堅持する方針を示しており、新基地建設を巡る県と国の対立は新たな局面に突入する。

　不作為の違法確認訴訟の一審・高裁那覇支部は９月１６日、翁長知事による承認取り消しは違法だとして、同取り消しの違法性の確認を求めていた国の主張を全面的に認める判決を出した。県は判決を不服として、同２３日に上告していた。最高裁は１２月１２日、口頭弁論を開かずに判決を言い渡す決定をし、判例や法令違反に関する県の上告受理申し立ての一部を審理の対象とするとした。

　普天間飛行場の辺野古移設を巡っては、仲井真前知事が２０１３年１２月２７日に沖縄防衛局による埋め立て申請を承認。辺野古新基地建設阻止を公約に当選した翁長知事が１５年１０月１３日に承認を取り消した。代執行訴訟での和解を経て、国は１６年７月２２日に不作為の違法確認訴訟を高裁那覇支部に提起した。
【琉球新報電子版】

英文へ→Digital Edition Extra: Supreme Court dismisses Okinawa’s appeal in Henoko lawsuit

2016年12月20日 15:03