New defense chief Gen Nakatani repeated Friday that the purpose of moving U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa is to get it out of crowded Ginowan, stressing that keeping it in the prefecture will make sure it remains a deterrent in the Asia-Pacific region.
"The primary purpose of the relocation is to avoid keeping Air Station Futenma, which is located near schools and houses, in the same location," Nakatani, 57, told reporters at the Defense Ministry.
"The relocation to the Henoko district (in Nago) is the sole option and quickest solution in terms of removing danger as well as keeping the U.S. deterrence intact," he said, adding there is no way to reduce the U.S. military presence here, given the political situation surrounding Japan.