SAGA- Saga Governor Yoshinori Yamaguchi expressed Thursday the southwestern Japan prefecture's readiness to give its go-ahead to the Defense Ministry's plan to deploy MV-22 Osprey transport aircraft at Saga Airport.

"I'll do my best," Yamaguchi told a press conference, showing the prefecture's willingness to accept the plan for the first time.

Under the plan, the ministry will open a Self-Defense Force post in the west of the airport, which faces the Ariake Sea, and deploy 17 Osprey planes of the Ground SDF in stages from 2019. The airport is located in the city of Saga.

But owners of the land for the post, including fishery operators, claim that work to build the facility could have negative impacts on the fishing environment in the Ariake Sea, citing an agriculture ministry reclamation project in Isahaya Bay, which opens to the sea. The owners are concerned about environmental damage from public works projects.

"I'm in a position to cooperate on national defense," Yamaguchi said.

But he added, "We need to think about the feelings of fishery operators."

"I'll do my best to find the answer," Yamaguchi said, expressing his determination to promote adjustments between fishery operators and the state government. (Jiji Press)