It took 17 years for the approval of plans to relocate a controversial U.S. military base in Japan , and now it appears those plans wo n't happen after all . On Sunday , Takeshi Onaga won Okinawa 's gubernatorial race . He defeated the two-term incumbent who , in 2013 , approved the move of the base , according to the Kyodo News agency . Onaga 's victory delivers `` a de-facto no vote '' to the relocation , Kyodo reported . Onaga wants the base closed rather than moved , The Washington Post reported . When Gov . Hirokazu Nakaima finally approved a landfill measure in December of last year , he ended a 17-year stalemate on plans to transfer the base from a densely populated area to a more sparsely populated one . When Nakaima approved that measure , U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel issued a written statement that called the decision `` absolutely critical to the United States ' ongoing rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region and our ability to maintain a geographically distributed , operationally resilient , and politically sustainable force posture in the region . '' The U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Okinawa was built in 1945 , following the battle of Okinawa in World War II , according to the Marine Corps ' website . In recent years the base has been unpopular with the island 's residents because of allegations against , and crimes committed by , U.S. military personnel . Many residents were incensed by the rape of a 12-year-old Japanese girl in 1995 by three U.S. military personnel . It sparked some of the worst anti-U.S. military demonstrations seen in Japan in decades . In 2002 , a U.S. staff sergeant in the Air Force was convicted of raping a Japanese woman in a parking lot outside a popular nightclub in Okinawa . Intense media coverage of the case brought pressure on the Japanese government to review its agreement with the United States about handling criminal cases in Japan involving the U.S. military . And allegations that a Marine raped a 14-year-old girl caused a furor in 2008 . The girl later decided not to pursue charges . In 2012 , three U.S. servicemen were arrested in connection with rapes in Okinawa . About half of all U.S. military personnel in Japan are stationed on the island . According to Kyodo , the base relocation was a major issue in this gubernatorial election . `` We proved that the people of Okinawa disagree ( with Nakaima ) , '' Onaga told reporters , describing the outcome as opening `` a new page in history , '' Kyodo reported .
Takeshi Sato defeats two - term incumbent in Okinawa 's gubernatorial race . Onaga wants the military base there closed , not just relocated . The current government approved relocation plans last year after two years of debate . Crimes by U.S. military personnel have made the base controversial .