A court ordered Okinawa's governor Monday to renew land leases for U.S. bases, over the widespread objection of many Okinawans to the American military presence on their island.
If Gov. Masahide Ota refuses to do so, Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto can sign the documents instead.After three American servicemen raped a 12-year-old Okinawan girl last year, Ota refused to exercise his authority to sign the leases on behalf of landowners who would not sign themselves. His refusal had been largely symbolic, and the court ruling had been expected.
But his defiance and the trial of the three U.S. soldiers, convicted of rape earlier this month, have focused attention on demands that the nearly 30,000 troops on Okinawa be withdrawn.
About 400 people lined up for the 38 seats allotted to the public for Monday's session at the Fukuoka High Court's branch in Naha, the Okinawan capital. Dozens of anti-military demonstrators waited outside.
The lawsuit against Ota was filed in December by then-Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, after several attempts at persuading Ota to sign failed.
Ota has refused to sign the leases because he says the bases, which take up about one-fifth of Okinawa, hamper the island's economic development and are one of the main reasons it remains Japan's poorest region.
Under mutual defense arrangements, Japan provides facilities to U.S. military personnel stationed in Japan, where the United States maintains 47,000 troops.