An Okinawa Prefectural Government panel has concluded it would be impossible to conserve the living and natural environment if an airfield is constructed on the Henoko coast of Nago for the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, sources said Tuesday.
The panel, which examined an environmental impact assessment by the central government for the relocation of the base, which is now in crowded Ginowan, within the prefecture, was scheduled to present its findings to the prefectural government Wednesday afternoon. The presence of the base and plans to move it elsewhere in the prefecture have been the source of years of local ire.
Based on the panel's report, Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima is expected to relay his opinion to the central government, saying the relocation of the Futenma base to Henoko would be extremely difficult, the sources said. The central government may subsequently be required to substantially revise the assessment.