Japan to Suspend Work at Controversial U.S. Base in Okinawa
- Prime Minister Abe said he wants to end fight with island
- Wrangling over base relocation has dragged on for two decades
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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed Friday to suspend work to expand a U.S. base on the southern island of Okinawa, in a bid to end an ongoing fight with the island’s government and people over the issue.
Abe told reporters in Tokyo that his government will adhere to a court recommendation to settle several lawsuits over the controversial expansion off the coast in Henoko, where landfill work had been carried out to prepare for the building of new runways. The prime minister said he wanted to find a way to relieve the burden of the U.S. bases on the island for the people of Okinawa.