Central government and Okinawa remain apart over U.S. base relocation

NAHA –

The central government and Okinawa Prefecture remained apart Sunday over the planned relocation of a U.S. military base within the prefecture.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara visited Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki at the prefectural office in Naha, and explained the central government’s policy of promoting the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma air station, located in a heavily populated area in Ginowan in the prefecture, to the Henoko coastal district in Nago, hoping to win understanding from the prefecture side.

Meanwhile, Tamaki urged the central government to abandon the relocation plan, and the talks ended in a stalemate.