Japan Begins Work on Relocating US Air Base in Okinawa

Japanese authorities began reclamation work in waters off the coast of Okinawa on Wednesday, as part of a long-delayed project to relocate a United States military air base in the southern prefecture. As reported by Kyodo citing Japan’s Ministry of Defence, the work is being carried out in Oura Bay, near the Henoko district of Nago City, where the Japanese government plans to move the US Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Base from the densely populated city of Ginowan. The relocation follows a 1996 agreement between Japan and the United States to reduce risks because the current US military base is located in an urban area with high population density. For years, many Okinawa residents 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 has largely been completed. However, construction in Oura Bay faces greater challenges because the soft seabed area requires extensive reinforcement. The relocation project is expected 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 a bilateral security treaty in effect since the end of World War II in 1945.