Japan and the United States are planning to change the relocation site for the command center for the U.S. KC-130 midair refueling aircraft unit from a Japanese base in Kagoshima Prefecture to a U.S. base in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, according to Japanese government sources.
The move is a change from the October deal, in which the two governments agreed to give "priority consideration" to the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Kanoya base in Kagoshima Prefecture as the destination for the entire unit.
The change is expected to be discussed at the next round of senior working-level talks on U.S. military realignment in Japan, scheduled to begin next Tuesday in Hawaii. Attendees will include foreign affairs and defense officials from the two countries.