Japan and the United States set up a special task force Thursday to facilitate the relocation of U.S. military installations in Okinawa.
Relocation of the facilities falls under an agreement reached by the Special Action Committee on Okinawa. "To properly fulfill what was agreed upon by SACO, another implementation group like the Futenma Implementation Group is necessary," said Masahiro Akiyama, vice defense minister.
According to the agreement reached Thursday by the Japan-U.S. Joint Committee, the SACO Implementation Section was established to coordinate the size and arrangement of new structures for the relocation of the U.S. military facilities. The section will advise SACO's facility subcommittee.
On Thursday, the joint committee also authorized a subcommittee proposal to build a concrete barrier within the U.S. Kadena Air Base in central Okinawa to reduce noise. The 2,300-meter long barrier will be constructed at Japan's expense and is designed to reduce noise in the densely populated residential district nearby.