Hatoyama earlier made a self-imposed May deadline to decide on where to relocate Futenma which Okinawans want out of their island due to security and environmental concerns.
On Tuesday, Hayotama who traveled for the first time to Okinawa since becoming Japan’s prime minister in September, officially acknowledged that at least part of Futenma U.S. Marine Corps airfield would remain in Okinawa, which hosts more than half of the 47,000 American troops based in Japan under a security pact, the Associated Press reported.
The prime minister asked residents to be open to a government plan that would keep some of Futenma’s functions on their island signaling Japan’s mended relations with the U.S. that was strained over the air base issue.
The two countries agreed in 2006 to relocate Futenma near Camp Schwab on Okinawa’s northeastern coast.
Tokunoshima, an island north of Okinawa, is also being considered as relocation site.
The Social Democratic Party, a member of Japan’s ruling coalition, earlier endorsed Tinian to a congressional panel reviewing sites as Futenma’s possible new home.
SDP even sent two key lawmakers on Tinian to get the public’s sentiment on the proposal.
The CNMI House of Representatives and the Senate separately adopted resolutions asking the U.S. Department of Defense and the government of Japan to consider Tinian as Futenma’s future relocation site.
