Okinawa appeals high court ruling over key U.S. base relocation

The governor of Okinawa said Wednesday he has appealed last week's high court ruling that ordered him to approve a modified landfill plan to relocate a key U.S. military base within the southern island prefecture.

Okinawa Gov Denny Tamaki has ignored the order by the Fukuoka High Court's Naha branch, setting the scene for the central government to approve in his place the modified plan for the transfer of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from the densely-populated Ginowan to the Henoko coastal area in Nago.

The appeal, however, will not bring a halt to the work the central government plans to start next month in line with the upgraded plan, unless the top court overturns the high court ruling.

"I hope to resolve the issue through dialogue with the central government," Tamaki told reporters at the Okinawa prefectural office. The governor was hospitalized for lobar pneumonia last week but was discharged Tuesday.