The governor of Japan's southern island of Okinawa says he will cancel permits for building a new United States air base on Okinawa. Governor Takeshi Onaga made the announcement after talks broke down between his administration and Japan’s central government.

His decision was announced just days after work on the base restarted near a coastal village on the island. The building project had been suspended for one month to give the two sides time to negotiate.

Mr. Onaga was elected governor last year after promising to block the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Base. The base was to be moved from a heavily populated area of Okinawa to a village called Henoko. Instead, Mr. Onaga wants the facility to be moved to another island. Over 19,000 U.S. Marines are stationed in Okinawa in order to rapidly respond to regional threats, provide disaster assistance and defend the interests of the United States and Japan.

However, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters Monday that work on the new base on Henoko will continue. The central government could bring legal action against Mr. Onaga to block his action.