Henoko environment assessment to be submitted

Japan's defense minister says the government will present a final environmental assessment by the end of the year on a planned site in Okinawa for the relocation of a US Marine base.

Yasuo Ichikawa spoke with Okinawa governor Hirokazu Nakaima on Monday about the plan to relocate the US Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station to a coastal area in Nago.

Nakaima told Ichikawa that people in Okinawa want the Futenma Air Station removed from the prefecture and the land returned to them as soon as possible.

The relocation process has been suspended since the Democratic Party took power in 2009.

Ichikawa said the government returned to the original plan of moving the base to Nago after the cabinet of then Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama reviewed several options.

He said he regrets that the decision has caused serious trouble to the people of Okinawa.

After the meeting, Ichikawa told reporters that finalizing the procedures based on the environment assessment law by the year-end is an important step forward.

He said the central government will try harder to get the people of Okinawa to agree with the plan.

Monday, October 17, 2011 14:29 +0900 (JST)