Japan will go ahead to relocate a US military base on the island of Okinawa despite a referendum rejecting the move.
Some 72 percent of voters opposed the construction of a new base.
In recent years, a number of accidents and crimes have led to growing local opposition to the base.
Prime Minister Shinso Abe told journalists the government takes the referendum result seriously, but cannot delay the 20-year-old plan to move the military base.
Mr Abe said he hoped local residents would understand why he had to overrule their preference.
