MOD Seeks Land Expropriation Ruling in Yomitan Village via Okinawa Committee

The Ministry of Defense has announced in the Official Gazette that an application for a ruling on land use has been submitted to the Okinawa Prefecture Expropriation Committee regarding a single parcel of land in Yomitan Village, Nakagami District, Okinawa Prefecture. The announcement was made under the name of Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi on November 6, 2026 (Reiwa 8), with the public notice period set from the 6th to the 20th of the same month. The target land is categorized as miscellaneous land located at 1600 Aza-Iramaina Higashihara, Yomitan Village, Nakagami District, Okinawa Prefecture. Once the notice period expires, a registration marking the commencement of the ruling procedure will be made, and the disposal of the land will be restricted.

The applying entity is the Director General of the Okinawa Defense Bureau. According to the announcement, the Director General of the Okinawa Defense Bureau submitted an application for a ruling on use under Article 39, Paragraph 1 of the Land Expropriation Act, pursuant to the provisions of Article 44, Paragraph 1 of the same act, via Document No. Oki-Bo 6199 dated September 18, 2026 (Reiwa 8), to the Okinawa Prefecture Expropriation Committee. Article 44, Paragraph 1 of the act is a procedural provision requiring the entrepreneur who applied for a ruling from the Expropriation Committee to publicly announce such application.

Under the land expropriation system, an entrepreneur first obtains the right to use land through a ruling by the Expropriation Committee. This announcement is positioned as the stage of widely notifying the public that the procedure from application to ruling has officially commenced.

Official Record of the Announced Land and Application

The items listed in the announcement are as follows:

• Location of land: Aza-Iramaina Higashihara, Yomitan Village, Nakagami District, Okinawa Prefecture
• Lot number: 1600
• Land category: Miscellaneous land
• Applicant: Director General of the Okinawa Defense Bureau
• Recipient of application: Okinawa Prefecture Expropriation Committee
• Document number: Oki-Bo 6199
• Date of application: September 18, 2026 (Reiwa 8)
• Legal basis: Land Expropriation Act Article 44, Paragraph 1 (Ruling on use under Article 39, Paragraph 1 of the same act)
• Announcer: Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi
• Date of announcement: November 6, 2026 (Reiwa 8)

The announcement is written in a form that specifies the location, lot number, and land category of the land; there is no mention of the facility name or intended use. The target is a single parcel of miscellaneous land within Yomitan Village, rather than a surface development or a designated area spanning multiple parcels.

Notice Period and Effects Following Expiration

The public notice period is fifteen days, from November 6 to November 20, 2026 (Reiwa 8). The purpose of the announcement is to ensure that interested parties have the opportunity to express their opinions within this period.

Regarding the effects after the period expires, the announcement specifies the following two stages:

• After the notice period expires, a decision to commence ruling procedures and the registration of the commencement of ruling procedures will be made in accordance with the provisions of Article 45-2 of the Land Expropriation Act.
• Following the registration, restrictions on disposal will be imposed in accordance with the provisions of Article 45-3 of the same act.

Once the registration for the commencement of the ruling procedure is completed, the landowner will no longer be able to freely dispose of the land. Systemically, this stage serves as the turning point that imposes direct restrictions on the exercise of the owner’s rights.

Consequences of the Procedure and Impact on the Reader

Moving forward, the Okinawa Prefecture Expropriation Committee will proceed with the ruling procedure and deliberate on the permissibility of use and the details of loss compensation. The public notice period represents the final stage during which it is possible to submit opinions regarding the application contents or prepare an appeal.

The subject land consists of a single parcel located in Yomitan Village, and this public notice signifies that the procedures regarding the use of the land have moved into a public forum. For the landholder, this is a phase where restrictions on the exercise of rights are imminent, and it directly relates to the debate over the burdens surrounding base-related land use in Okinawa.

Official Source: Official Gazette, Friday, November 6, Reiwa 8 (2026), Ministry of Defense Public Notice “Public Notice of Application for Ruling on Land Expropriation and Use,” Document Number Oki-Bo No. 6199 (Application Date: September 18, Reiwa 8), Notifier: Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi, Notice Period: November 6 to November 20, Reiwa 8, Legal Basis: Land Expropriation Act Article 39 Paragraph 1, Article 44 Paragraph 1, Article 45-2, and Article 45-3.