Abe Resolved to Move Forward with Futenma Relocation

June 24, 2018

Itoman, Okinawa Pref.- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed his resolve on Saturday to move forward with the planned relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma air station within the southernmost Japan prefecture of Okinawa.

"In order to realize the full return of the Futenma base site at an early date, I'll move forward with the relocation" of the air station from a congested area of Ginowan to the Henoko coastal area in Nago, Abe told reporters in Itoman, an Okinawa city. "I'll step up efforts to win local residents' cooperation and understanding."

On the discovery of a 5-centimeter-long object thought to be a bullet at a farm shed close to the Marine Corps' Camp Schwab in Nago on Thursday, Abe said it is a "serious issue that could affect human lives."

"We've urged the U.S. military to confirm the facts and not to use the shooting range (of the base)," Abe said. The use of the range was suspended for the time being after he met U.S. Ambassador to Japan William Hagerty on Friday to ask for cooperation, according to the prime minister. Jiji Press