NAHA (Kyodo) -- Okinawa Prefecture said Friday that Japan's Supreme Court has not accepted its appeal claiming the state's overturning of its rejection of a modified landfill plan for a controversial U.S. military base transfer was illegal.

The court decision, dated Thursday, is the last in a total of 14 lawsuits between the state and the prefecture over the matter and finalizes a ruling by the Fukuoka High Court's Naha branch in September that also dismissed the appeal, citing the local government's lack of standing as a plaintiff.

The central government and Okinawa have long been at odds over the transfer of the Futenma base from a crowded residential district in Ginowan to the Henoko coastal area in Nago. Okinawa has hosted the majority of U.S. military facilities in Japan since World War II ended in 1945.

Of the 14 lawsuits regarding the Henoko relocation, the prefectural government lost in all 10 cases that concluded at court.

"It is extremely disappointing that the judiciary dismissed the case without offering any concrete judgment. Our opposition to the Henoko new base plan remains unchanged, and we will continue to work tirelessly toward a resolution," Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki said.

The central government submitted a revised landfill plan to the Okinawa governor in April 2020 to address the issue of soft soil. After the prefectural government refused to approve it, the central government granted approval in its place on Dec. 28, 2023.

The prefectural government had argued in the suit that the state's decision to greenlight the modified plan despite its objections was illegal.

But the Naha branch ruled last September that the prefecture's claim of infringement on its autonomy was invalid, stating that approving the design change was part of its duties entrusted by the state.