Japan will finalize an accord with the United States in early April on realigning U.S. forces in Japan, effectively shelving efforts to gain the unlikely endorsement of local-level authorities for the changes, government sources said Tuesday.
The government is considering sending Defense Agency chief Fukushiro Nukaga and Foreign Minister Taro Aso to the United States for April 1-2 security talks with their U.S. counterparts, the sources said.
Tokyo's move runs the risk of igniting further anger from the areas to be affected by the relocation plans.
The realignment proposals include building an airstrip in and just offshore of Camp Schwab in Nago, Okinawa, to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps base at Futenma, and stepping up joint operations between Japanese and U.S. forces.
The defense and foreign ministers of the two countries agreed in an accord last October to finalize and develop the plans, including concrete implementation schedules, "no later than March 2006."
The accord states that the ministers have "committed themselves to completing local coordination" by the deadline.