Aug 30 01:06 PM US/Eastern
TOKYO, Aug. 31 (AP) - (Kyodo) — Japan and the United States have agreed to state in a written policy that they will bear in mind the Okinawa people's views on the exact relocation and construction method of a key U.S. base within the prefecture, provided this does not result in a significant delay in building the facility, bilateral diplomatic sources said Monday.
The policy is contained in a report worked out by government officials of the two countries. The Japanese government will explain the report to the Okinawa prefectural government before making it public on Tuesday afternoon, the sources said.
In May, Tokyo and Washington agreed to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma airbase within the prefecture, moving it from a densely populated area in Ginowan to the less populated Henoko district in Nago.
The sources said the report will mention two options -- building two runways in a V-shaped formation, the plan maintained by the United States, and constructing a single runway as proposed by Japan.
But the United States maintains that a V-shape formation is the better option.
The report will make no mention of Japan's proposal for the joint use of the replacement facility by the U.S. Marines and the Japanese Self- Defense Forces, as the U.S. government balked at its inclusion in light of opposition from local people.
The two governments will set up a working-level team to consider the proposal in order to draw a conclusion before the details of the relocation plan are finally adopted, the sources said.
Earlier this month, the United States proposed a major change in helicopter flight routes to and from the planned relocation site in Okinawa, saying that U.S. aircraft will fly closer to onshore areas than Tokyo had earlier expected under visual flight rules using two runways in the V-shaped formation.
But the report will not refer to it because of Japan's opposition on the grounds that it would worsen noise levels and pose greater risks to local residents, the sources said.
The two sides will also continue holding talks on the issue.
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