Japan Begins Work on Relocating US Air Base in Okinawa

Japanese authorities began reclamation work in the offshore waters of Okinawa on Wednesday, as part of a long-delayed project to relocate a United States military airbase in the southern prefecture of Japan.

As reported by Kyodo, citing the Japanese Ministry of Defence, the work is being carried out in Oura Bay—near the Henoko District—Nago City, where the Japanese Government intends to move the US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from the densely populated Ginowan City.

The relocation is a follow-up to a 1996 agreement between Japan and the United States to reduce risks, as the current location of the US military base is situated in a high-density urban area.

For many years, residents of Okinawa have complained about noise, environmental pollution, and various criminal cases involving US military personnel.

Reclamation work in the southern part of Henoko began in 2018 and is largely complete. However, construction in Oura Bay faces greater challenges because the soft seabed area requires extensive reinforcement.

The relocation project is estimated to be completed around 2033, although the transfer of all military facilities will likely require several additional years.

Okinawa hosts the majority of United States military facilities in Japan. Approximately 50,000 US military personnel are stationed in Japan under the bilateral security agreement that has been in place since the end of the Second World War in 1945.