WASHINGTON (Kyodo) The United States and Japan are in talks about a possible near-term visit to Washington by Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada but have yet to set a date, the State Department said.
"There are discussions going on, but there are no specific dates set," department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters Monday when asked about Okada's possible visit to the U.S. capital in January amid the row over where to relocate the Futenma military airfield in Okinawa.
Last week, Okada conveyed to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton Tokyo's plan to make maximum efforts to reach a decision by May on where the base should be transferred.
Washington has pressed Tokyo to stick to the 2006 bilateral deal to move the facility, which currently sits in a residential area in Ginowan, to a less densely populated area in Nago, another Okinawa city.
The 2006 deal is part of a broader agreement on the realignment of U.S. military forces in Japan, including the transfer of 8,000 marines stationed in Okinawa to Guam.