¹ On the start of seawall construction, see “Japan begins construction work for controversial new U.S. base in Okinawa,” The Japan Times, April 25, 2017.

² “Gov't crosses line with launch of landfill work for Okinawa base relocation,” The Mainichi, April 26, 2017.

³ “Henoko gogan koji chakushu Onaga chiji ‘yurushi gatai, bokyo’ to hihan shonin tekkai no jiki genkyu sezu [Seawall construction launched, Governor Onaga condemns it as ‘unforgivable and outrageous’ but does not state when he will revoke the land reclamation permit],” Okinawa taimusu, April 25, 2017.

⁴ See the Cabinet Press conference by Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide, April 25, 2017.

⁵ “Hasai kyokagire saishinnsei o gyoseishido boeikyoku ni okinawaken [Crushing permit expired Okinawa prefecture sent directive to Okinawa Defense Bureau],” Mainichi shimbun, April 6, 2017.)

⁶ “Okinawa governor threatens to file injunction against Henoko base construction work,” The Mainichi. March 16, 2017. Also see Press Conference by Defense Minister Inada Tomomi Also for the Nago Fishing Cooperative's General Meeting, 11 March 2013, see Urashima Etsuko, “A Nago Citizen's Opinion on the Henoko Marine Base Construction Project,” The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 11, Issue 47, No. 2, November 25, 2013.

⁷ The prefectural government has contended that the government's intervention with the Nago Fishermen's Cooperative was “threatening the stability of laws;” but the national government remains aloof to the prefectural government's contention. See “Okinawa governor threatens to file injunction against Henoko base construction work,” The Mainichi, March 16, 2017. See also “Gov't works on new U.S. base site at Henoko for 1st time since permission expired,” The Mainichi, April 4, 2017.

⁸ Kitaueda Tsuyoshi writes Choi-san no Okinawa nikki [Choi-san' Okinawa Diary], a blog providing up-to-date information in Japanese on the construction of the base and other base related issues in Okinawa. He is a retired governmental official who participates in protest at Henoko-Oura Bay. See his blog at: here.

⁹ See “Shasetsu: ‘umetate shonin tekkai e’ omoi ketsudan ga jyokyo o kaeru [Decisive decision changes the situation],” Okinawa taimusu, March 26, 2017. For discussion urging Governor Onaga to revoke the land reclamation permit, see Satoko Norimatsu, “Henoko tadachini shonin tekkai o jyo ge [Immediate revocation is needed for Henoko first and second],” Okinawa taimusu, March 8, 2017. First: Here Second: Here

¹⁰ Governor Onaga uses the expression “kisei jijitsu” or fait accompli to describe the Okinawa Defense Bureau's start of seawall construction. See “Governor Onaga to seek injunction to block seawall construction for new base off Henoko,” Ryukyu Shimpo, April 26, 2017.

¹¹ Ibid.

¹² The 1966 survey report Master Plan of Navy Facilities on the island of Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, submitted to the U.S. Department of the Navy by a U.S. contracter, indicated the fragile nature of the seafloor at the construction site.

¹³ See Mariko Abe (Nature Conservation Society of Japan) et al, “Henoko kankyo asesu go ni hanmeishita aratana jujitsu o happyo [New facts on Henoko after Environmental Impact Assessment],” website of the Nature Conservation Society of Japan.

¹⁴ In October 2015, Governor Onaga revoked (torikeshi) the land reclamation permit, claiming that the grounds on which former Governor Nakaima granted the permit were questionable. In December 2016, the Japanese supreme court ruled Governor Onaga's torikeshi illegal. For details of Governor Onaga's claims, see Sakurai Kunitoshi and Gavan McCormack, “To Whom Does the Sea Belong? Questions Posed by the Henoko Assessment,” The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 13, Issue 29, No. 4, July 20, 2015.

¹⁵ Sakurai Kunitoshi, “Rondan: Kankyo hakai torimodosenu: tadachini tekkai o [Environment once destroyed can not be recovered: Do immediate revocation],” Ryukyu Shimpo, April 16, 2017.

¹⁶ “Onaga chiji ‘umetate shonin o tekkai’ kougi shukai de hyomei [Governor Onaga declares at protest rally to revoke land reclamation permit],” Asahi shimbun digital, March 25, 2017.

¹⁷ “Okinawa in tight spot as top court sides with gov't in Henoko reclamation case,” The Mainichi, December 21, 2016. For accounts and analysis of the court battles between Okinawa Governor Onaga and the Japanese government and former Governor Ota Masahide and the Japanese government, see Gavan McCormack, “Japan's Problematic Prefecture-Okinawa and the US-Japan Relationship,” The Asia Pacific Journal, Vol. 14, Issue 17, No 2, September 1, 2016.

¹⁸ Some have argued that the defeat of candidates who Governor Onaga supported in three recent mayoral elections, a sign of Onaga losing his political clout, prompted the Japanese government to start seawall construction. See the cabinet press conference video starting at 7:25 at: here.

¹⁹ See Hideki Yoshikawa, “An Appeal from Okinawa to the US Congress. Futenma Marine Base Relocation and its Environmental Impact: U.S. Responsibility” The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 12, Issue 39, No. 4, September 28, 2014.

²⁰ For details of the “dugong lawsuit” and legal documents, see the website of Earthjustice, the U.S. environmental law firm representing the plaintiffs, at: here.

²¹ See the video recording of the hearing of the Case 15-15695 Center for Biological Diversity vs. Ashton Carter at: here.

²² Helen Christophi, “Court Signals Bend of U.S. Marine Base for Okinawa Dugong,” Courthouse News Service, March 16, 2017.

²³ See the video recording of the hearing of the Case 15-15695 Center for Biological Diversity vs. Ashton Carte starting at 27:35 at: here.

²⁴ See U.S. Marine Corps Recommended Findings April 2014 as Exhibit 1 for the plaintiffs' Supplementary Complaint at: here.

²⁵ See Mariko Abe (Nature Conservation Society of Japan) et al, “Henoko kankyo asesu go ni hanmeishita aratana jujitsu o happyo [New facts on Henoko after Environmental Impact Assessment],” Website of the Nature Conservation Society of Japan.

²⁶ “Dugong not seen since 2015, probably due to impact of Oura Bay construction,” Ryukyu Shimpo, November 03, 2016. See also minutes of the House of Representatives Environment Committee meeting, March 24, 2017.

²⁷ For a summary of the District Court's ruling, see Rebekah Kearn “No Help for the Endangered Dugong.” Courthouse News Service, February 18, 2015.

²⁸ See the District Court's ruling for the case of Okinawa Dugong (Dugong Dugon(et al V. Rumsfeld et al.

²⁹ For a summary of the lawsuits between the Japanese government and Governor Onaga, see “Editorial: Resumption of reclamation work off Henoko too hasty,” The Mainichi, December 28, 2016.

³⁰ The Okinawa prefectural government could not present its arguments on environmental issues in the hearings of the previous court cases regarding Governor Onaga's cancellation of the land reclamation permit. According to the prefectural government, “The High Court handed down its ruling without conducting sufficient proceedings as it neither called a single environmental expert or other witness as requested by the Okinawa Prefectural Government nor did it afford Okinawa Prefectural Government any opportunity of rebuttal.” See “Current Situation and Future Prospects for Relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma,” the Website of the Okinawa Prefectural Government Washington D.C. Office.

³¹ The environment, defense, and foreign affairs ministries all maintained this stance during the meetings with NGOs on April 14, 2017.

³² Akimichi Matsunaga, “Aiming for the Fifth World Natural Heritage Site in Japan,” Japan Environmental Quarterly, Vol. 17, March 17, 2017

³³ See NGOs' letter to the U.S. military and government titled “Letter of Concern and Request: Inscription of Yanbaru Forest as a World Natural Heritage Site December 1, 2016”

³⁴ The Government of Japan (2017), Nomination of Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, the Northern Part of Okinawa Island and Iriomote Island for Inscription on the World Heritage List.

³⁵ NGO's meeting with the Ministry of the Environment on April 14, 2017.

³⁶ See NGOs letter to IUCN titled “Request Concerning the IUCN field mission of proposed World Heritage sites in Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, the northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island (March 17, 2017)” at: here.

³⁷ See Hideki Yoshikawa, “U.S. military must not jeopardize Okinawan forest's bid for World Heritage status,” The Japan Times, February 01, 2017.

³⁸ See IUCN Resolution “Strengthening pathway management of alien species in island ecosystems (2016-WCC-Res-020-EN)” at: here.

³⁹ See Governor Onaga's Letter to IUCN Director General, Ms. Inger Anderson See also Nago City Mayor Susumu Inamine's letter to IUCN

⁴⁰ The environment and foreign affairs ministries expressed these stances on the relationship between the World Natural Heritage nomination and U.S. military bases and training areas in Okinawa during meetings with NGOs on April 14, 2017.