Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said Thursday that uncertainties remain about meeting the 2014 deadline for relocating the Futenma airfield, even though Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said that target can still be achieved.
"There are still some uncertain factors that make it difficult to say definitively (about meeting the deadline) if we are going to think about an alternative plan," he said.
Kitazawa's remarks came a day after Hatoyama said Japan can still meet the deadline for relocating U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma despite the government putting off a decision and deciding to seek a site other than the one already agreed to with the United States.