NAHA 每 Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on Wednesday met with Nago Mayor Taketoyo Toguchi to seek local understanding on relocating U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to the city.
The first meeting between Koizumi and Toguchi since the former took office in October last year was held in Naha. The Futenma base, located in a densely populated area in the city of Ginowan in Okinawa, is slated to be relocated to the Henoko coastal area in the Okinawa city of Nago.
Addressing concerns about noise from U.S. military aircraft, Koizumi said the government will aim to minimize the impact.
Representatives of residents of Henoko and surrounding areas also attended the meeting. Toguchi requested continued support for regional development and asked that concerns among residents be fully addressed. Koizumi said he takes the issues seriously and will respond.
Koizumi also met with Lt. Gen. Roger Turner, commanding general of the U.S. Marine Corps＊ III Marine Expeditionary Force and Okinawa area coordinator. They agreed to reduce burdens linked to the hosting of U.S. bases while maintaining the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. alliance.
On Thursday, Koizumi is scheduled to meet separately with Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki, Naha Mayor Satoru Chinen, Ginowan Mayor Atsushi Sakima and others. He will also visit the Futenma air station and a Self-Defense Forces base.
This visit to the main island of Okinawa was his first since taking office, following a trip to the Sakishima Islands in the prefecture in November.
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