NAHA, Okinawa Pref. (Kyodo) Yoshikazu Shimabukuro, the newly elected mayor of Nago, said Monday the current plan to relocate a U.S. military airport to the city is "unacceptable" and that he prefers building an airfield that is completely offshore.
Shimabukuro, 59, also said at a news conference the day after he was elected that he is ready to hold talks with the central government over the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station, now in the city of Ginowan, if changes are made to the plan that are acceptable to local communities.
A revised relocation plan concluded in October between Japan and the United States calls for building an airport using some land from the U.S. Marine Corps' Camp Schwab in Nago and reclaiming the remaining land from the sea.