After nearly a decade of stalling and prevarication over the replacement of Futenma Air Station in Okinawa, a solution has finally emerged from the dusty halls of power in Kasumigaseki and Washington.
Last week, the two governments agreed to relocate Futenma's chopper base to the Marines Camp Schwab in Nago.
Tokyo had initially supported Washington's preferred option: a joint civil-military airport off the coast of Henoko village at an estimated cost of 330 billion yen -- footed by the Japanese taxpayer.