The following editorial appeared in Sunday’s Japan News-Yomiuri:

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The relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, is vital to reduce the prefecture’s burden of hosting U.S. military bases. The government needs to ensure the ongoing work progresses smoothly.

The goal is to relocate the Futenma facility to the Henoko area in Nago, also in Okinawa Prefecture. Saturday marked the passage of one year since the start of land reclamation work, with earth and sand being poured into a zone off the Henoko coast. The work to reclaim a total of about 160 hectares of land is continuing.

Only about six hectares of land, or 4% of the total, have been reclaimed. The amount of earth and sand so far poured into the zone accounts for 1% of that necessary for the completion of a facility that will replace the Futenma base. It cannot be said that the work is progressing smoothly.

In areas around Henoko, a group of people opposing the project has continually staged sit-ins along roads leading to the development, blocking the passage of trucks carrying materials. There have been cases in which they have used canoes to enter waters where work is underway. Their constant activities are leading to delays in the work.

While work in the southwestern area is continuing, there is a need for soil improvement work on the soft seabed in the northeastern area. The Defense Ministry intends to make architectural changes to the project. It has gathered experts who are studying such matters as methods for soil improvement work and ways to shorten the completion time. Safe and practical plans must be devised.

The Okinawa prefectural government has filed two lawsuits, insisting that the national government’s decision to nullify the local government’s withdrawal of approval for reclamation work was illegal. One suit was rejected at a high court, with the prefectural government taking its appeal to the Supreme Court. The other lawsuit is being examined at a district court.

It is hard to understand the methods of Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki, who has repeatedly battled in the courts while calling for a resolution through dialogue. Tamaki is poised to reject a request from the central government for architectural changes.

Futenma Air Station is located in a densely occupied residential area. The replacement facility will be built in an area of sea adjacent to a U.S. military installation in the sparsely populated city of Nago. There is great significance to decreasing the risk of accidents and the problem of noise pollution while maintaining the U.S. Marine Corps’ deterrence.

Tamaki seems to share the national government’s perception that it is vital to avoid maintaining the presence of the Futenma base. He must think about a realistic solution to the problem, and not just oppose the relocation plan.

Since the start of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s second Cabinet in 2012, such accomplishments have been made as the return of a portion of the U.S. military’s Makiminato Service Area in Urasoe. In response to a request from the prefectural government, drills involving the Futenma base’s Osprey aircraft have been transferred to the Kyushu region or elsewhere.

Nevertheless, 70% of U.S. military facilities in Japan are concentrated in Okinawa Prefecture. The national and Okinawa prefectural governments should cooperate in their efforts to further reduce the burden on the prefecture.

The central government intends to secure annual budgetary appropriations through fiscal 2021 of as much as around 300 billion yen for the development of the prefecture. Assistance from the national government is also indispensable for rebuilding Shuri Castle in Naha, which was devastated in a recent fire.

Tamaki must think about how to develop his entire prefecture from a long-term perspective while also building constructive relations with the national government.

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