The government is considering a plan to wait until 2015 or later to start filling in the offshore area at Henoko, Okinawa Prefecture, to build a replacement base for the U.S. Futenma facility, government sources said Tuesday.
The government had initially considered starting the landfill work this fall, but it will likely take until around that time to map out how to proceed with construction based on a seabed survey that began Aug. 18, according to the sources.
Such a postponement would not affect the current schedule to build runways and bank protection at the relocation site in five years, the sources said.