Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Monday "the time has come" for the government to make a decision on the fate of the Futenma military facility in Okinawa Prefecture and convey it to the United States, but he wouldn't say what it will be or precisely when it will be.
Hatoyama said later that if he can meet with President Barack Obama in Copenhagen on Dec. 18, he hopes to brief him on "the government's policy" on the relocation issue and seek Washington's understanding.
But asked if by "the government's policy" he meant his conclusion on where to transfer the base, he said, "I am not saying so necessarily."