Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda renewed his pledge on Tuesday to alleviate the burden on Okinawa, which hosts a number of U.S. military facilities.
Speaking at a ceremony to mark the 40th anniversary of the return of the southern island prefecture of Okinawa from U.S. rule, he said the U.S. Marines' Futenma Air Station should not be allowed to remain in its present location in Ginowan city.
Noda said his government would work to move the base, currently in a residential area, to a coastal region in the prefecture, and promote the return of some other U.S. military facilities, as agreed between Japan and the United States, Japanese media reported.
Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima and U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos were among the 1,000 people who attended the ceremony in Ginowan City.
Nakaima said he appreciated the national government's efforts, but Okinawa residents strongly desire that the Futenma base be relocated outside the prefecture. Okinawa also wants the bilateral Status of Forces Agreement to be thoroughly revised.
Nakaima called for broad national debates on issues involving U.S. bases in Okinawa. Okinawa hosts more than 70 percent of U.S. military facilities in Japan in terms of land area.
Meanwhile, the New York-based World Monuments Fund announced an aid of $200,000 for rebuilding a historic Japanese town that was devastated in last year's quake-triggered tsunami.
The assistance would be given to a non-profit organization in Katori City in Chiba prefecture, near Tokyo. More than a third of the old buildings in the city's Sawara district were damaged in the March 11, 2011 tsunami. The district belongs to the category Groups of Traditional Buildings designated by Japan's Cultural Affairs Agency.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.