Four Cabinet members reviewing the U.S. military realignment plan Friday agreed to continue discussions on relocating the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Okinawa, Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa told reporters.
Kitazawa, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano, Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and Seiji Maehara, state minister in charge of Okinawa, held informal talks Friday after differences in opinion surfaced on whether to relocate the base outside Okinawa or keep it in the prefecture as agreed to by Japan and the United States.
"We don't have much time, so we decided to frequently exchange opinions on the issue," Kitazawa said.