Suga Mulls Meeting New Okinawa Governor on Friday

October 11, 2018

Tokyo- Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday he is considering meeting with new Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki in Tokyo on Friday.

The governor's side has proposed that Tamaki visit the prime minister's office on Friday, Suga told a press conference, adding that he will meet with Tamaki if schedules allow.

A meeting between Tamaki and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is also possible, Suga said.

Tamaki won the Okinawa gubernatorial election last month pledging to block the central government's plan to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma air station in the Okinawa city of Ginowan to the Henoko coastal district in Nago, another city in the southernmost prefecture.

If the meetings with Abe and Suga are realized, Tamaki is expected to call on them to scrap the planned relocation. The central government side is expected to reiterate its commitment to promote the relocation while reducing Okinawa's burden of hosting many U.S. bases. Jiji Press