Apr 12 11:03 PM US/Eastern
WASHINGTON, April 12 (AP) - (Kyodo) — Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Monday he promised U.S. President Barack Obama that he will bring to a conclusion the issue of relocating a U.S. Marine base in Japan by the end of May.
"I told him that we will settle the issue by the end of May," Hatoyama said, while refusing to reveal what Obama said in their meeting.
The Japanese premier was speaking to reporters after holding informal talks with Obama during a working dinner for the Nuclear Security Summit, which began Monday.
Hatoyama said he also told Obama that easing the base-hosting burden on the residents of the southernmost Japanese prefecture of Okinawa, which hosts the U.S. Marine Corps' Futemma Air Station, is "necessary to help develop the Japan-U.S. relationship."
Hatoyama, who has been seeking alternatives to the existing relocation plan for the U.S. base, said he did not mention by name any specific site to Obama. He said the two leaders held brief talks lasting about 10 minutes while seated next to each other at the dinner.
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