Japan court backs Tokyo bid to relocate Okinawa base

TOKYO: A Japanese court on Friday approved Tokyo's plan to relocate a US military base on Okinawa in a move unlikely to immediately resolve a long-running spat between central and local authorities.

Tokyo wants to move the unpopular US airbase in a crowded residential district on Okinawa to a sparsely populated area in its north, but many locals want the base moved off the island altogether.