Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi, who is visiting Okinawa Prefecture, met with Governor Tamaki and conveyed the idea of coordinating a working group between the government and the prefecture to discuss measures to reduce the burden on the U.S. military base at Futenma.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi, who is visiting Okinawa Prefecture for the first time since taking office, met with Governor Tamaki for about 20 minutes at the prefectural office on the afternoon of the 28th.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi stated, ``Okinawa bears a heavy burden on the bases, and it is my responsibility as the minister in charge to reduce that burden one by one.''
In addition, he announced his intention to proceed with coordination toward convening a working group between the government, Okinawa Prefecture, and Ginowan City in order to promote dialogue with the local community to reduce the burden on Futenma Air Base.
If the working group is held, it will be the first time since February of last year.
In response, Governor Tamaki stated that, given that the government is proceeding with soft ground improvement work in Henoko, Nago City, which has not been approved by the prefecture, ``It was clearly shown in past gubernatorial elections, etc. "We would like them to take seriously the public opinion that opposes the construction of the base, suspend construction, and agree to dialogue with the prefecture."
After the meeting, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi told reporters, ``In order to realize the full return of Futenma Air Base as soon as possible, we plan to proceed with construction work toward relocation.We will continue to work with the prefectural government on various occasions through working groups and other opportunities. I would like to communicate at a mutual level."