The Yomiuri Shimbun
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, left, and Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki pose for a photo during their talks in Naha on Sunday.
16:05 JST, December 1, 2025
NAHA — Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki on Sunday that the Cabinet of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi intends to move forward in earnest with its plan for relocating the U.S. military’s Futenma Air Station, now located in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, to the Henoko district of the prefecture’s city of Nago, with an eye toward having the base’s current grounds returned to Japanese control as soon as possible.
Kihara, who also serves as the government’s minister in charge of mitigating the impact of US. forces in Okinawa, was meeting Tamaki in Naha for the first time since becoming chief cabinet secretary.
Tamaki reiterated his opposition to relocating the air station within the prefecture.
“Based on the agreements between Japan and the United States, it is my responsibility to move forward in earnest with returning [to Japanese control] the areas south of Kadena [used by U.S. forces, including the Futenma Air Station] and to reduce the burden they create step by step,” Kihara told the Okinawa governor.
“I would request that the government abandon the relocation plan and open a dialogue to find a solution that will help the dangers created by Futenma Air Station to be removed as early as possible,” Tamaki replied.
Earlier on Sunday, also in Naha, Kihara met with a group of people from Nago, including representatives of local residents and the city’s Mayor Taketoyo Toguchi. Kihara fielded their requests for things, such as subsidies and issues concerning traffic of construction vehicles, and and replied that the government will “address them thoroughly.”
Kihara also visited Ginowan, the air base’s current home, and exchanged opinions with its Mayor Atsushi Sakima on countermeasures against noises and other issues.
Unlike Gov. Tamaki, neither mayor has taken a position against the plan. The government has established a council, led by a deputy chief cabinet secretary and the two mayors, as a forum for direct dialogue between the central government and both cities, bypassing the prefectural government. It aims to broaden understanding for the relocation by listening closely to the opinions of locals.
On Friday, preceding Kihara’s visit to Okinawa Prefecture, full-scale landfill work, including the dumping of sand and soil, began on the Oura Bay side of the Henoko coastal area. With the legal battle between the central government and the prefecture effectively settled in 2023, relocation work has since picked up speed. The government intends to make as much progress as possible on the construction work in order to prevent the relocation issue from being a key point of contention in the Nago mayoral election next January or the gubernatorial election next autumn.
However, the central and prefectural governments will have to work together to make facility improvements to enable Self-Defense Forces to use airports and ports in the prefecture, as well as for improving evacuation plans in preparation for a Taiwan contingency. If tense relations continue between the central and prefectural governments, it could cast doubt on the effectiveness of the nation’s Nansei Southwest Islands defense.
AloJapan.com