Japan’s Supreme Court on Monday dismissed Okinawa’s rejection of a central government plan to build US Marine Corps runways on the island and ordered the prefecture to approve it despite protests against the American troops’ presence.

Monday’s ruling upheld a high court ruling in March that the central government’s plan and its instruction for Okinawa’s approval are valid. It will move forward the suspended construction at a time Okinawa’s strategic role is seen increasingly important for the Japan-US military alliance in the face of growing tensions with China.