U.S. military brass in Japan reportedly contacted about 20 real estate agencies in Kanagawa Prefecture between late last year and early this year to ask them if they could build about 500 housing units near Camp Zama.
The camp, which stretches across the cities of Sagamihara and Zama, is where the U.S. Defense Department plans to transplant the U.S. Army's First Corps headquarters now at Fort Lewis, Wash. It is viewed as the highlight of Japan's role in the U.S. global military realignment plan.
Real estate agencies declined comment, but speculation is rife among area residents that the army's expansion plan is inevitable, despite strong local opposition.