Japan and the United States agreed in principle Friday to the return of idle land at four sites in Yokohama currently overseen by U.S. forces, Foreign Ministry officials said.
The agreement was reached on condition that Tokyo build additional housing in the Ikego residential area that straddles Yokohama and the city of Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture, they said.
Once finalized, the accord would be one of the largest deals involving the return of U.S. military-owned land in recent years. The accord was reached in a meeting of the Japan-U.S. Joint Committee.