Kyuma tells deputies to mull possibility of revising Futemma plan

Dec 28 02:23 AM US/Eastern
TOKYO, Dec. 28 (AP) - (Kyodo)— Defense Agency Director General Fumio Kyuma has told his deputies to consider the possibility of revising the current Japan- U.S. plan to relocate the airfield functions of a U.S. military base in Okinawa Prefecture, agency sources said Thursday.

Kyuma has also informally told some representatives of local governments concerned with the relocation plan, which is opposed by the Okinawa prefectural government, that the central government intends to deal flexibly with the issue, the sources said.

Kyuma asked the agency's Vice Minister Takemasa Moriya and other officials to see whether a revision was possible, apparently as part of efforts to gain acceptance of the central government's plan by the southernmost island prefecture, they said.

But it is unclear whether a revision is feasible or whether the government can come up with a revised plan that is acceptable to Okinawa, according to the sources.

Agency officials generally view Kyuma's move unfavorably, given that any revision to the latest plan finalized in May by the Japanese and U.S. governments would require readjustment of the scheme in agreement with Washington, they said.

"The relocation will not move forward if the plan is changed frequently depending on the (Okinawa) governor's wishes," an agency source said.

The latest plan involves building an airfield with two runways in a V- shaped formation in Nago using the coastal area of the U.S. Marines' Camp Schwab and some landfill areas nearby to replace the heliport functions of the U.S. Marine Corps Futemma Air Station, now in a densely populated area in Ginowan.

The Nago municipal government has accepted the new airfield plan, but Tokyo has yet to gain approval from the Okinawa prefectural government. Under current laws, landfills for airfield construction require authorization from the Okinawa governor.

New Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima reiterated his opposition to the plan during talks earlier in the week in Tokyo with representatives of the central and related local governments.

One proposed revision would involve moving the V-shaped runways slightly to the southwest from the current plan and shortening the construction period, the sources said.