New defense chief makes first visit to Okinawa

August 14, 2017

NAHA, OKINAWA PREF.- Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera on Monday visited Okinawa Prefecture for the first time since he took office earlier this month and held talks with Takeshi Onaga, governor of the southernmost Japan prefecture.

During the meeting, held in the Okinawa capital of Naha, Onodera apparently explained to Onaga the central government's decision announced Friday to approve the resumption of flights of the US Marine Corps' MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor transport planes deployed at the Futenma air base in Ginowan, Okinawa. Tokyo earlier called on the US side to refrain from Osprey operations, following a fatal crash of one of the planes off the east coast of Australia on Aug. 5.

The minister is also seen to have sought Onaga's understanding for the relocation of the Marine base to the Henoko coastal district of Nago, also Okinawa.

In response, Onaga is believed to have asked Tokyo for a halt to Osprey flights and the scrapping of the Futenma base relocation project. Okinawa hosts the bulk of US bases in Japan. Jiji Press