Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, left, holds talks with Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki in Naha, capital of the southern Japan island prefecture of Okinawa, on Jan. 8, 2026. (Kyodo)
NAHA, Japan (Kyodo) — Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi vowed Thursday to reduce the burden on Okinawa Prefecture of hosting U.S. military bases and strengthen the defense of the southwestern Nansei island chain amid China’s growing military activities.
Following his first meeting with Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki since he became defense chief last October, Koizumi told reporters at the prefectural government building that he is determined to achieve those two goals. The island chain is a strategically important area due to its proximity to Taiwan, a potential flashpoint that could involve the United States in a broader conflict.
Koizumi told Tamaki that construction work to move the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station from a crowded residential district in Ginowan to the less populated Henoko coastal area of Nago within Okinawa will “proceed in a tangible way.”
Tamaki reiterated his call for the central government to abandon the relocation plan. Okinawa hosts the bulk of U.S. military facilities in Japan.
The governor also expressed concerns about the government’s planned update of three key national security documents and was opposed to having “counterstrike capabilities” in the southern prefecture.
AloJapan.com