Construction of a facility to replace the controversial Futenma air base in Okinawa Prefecture may be delayed further due to seabed reinforcement work at the Henoko site after engineers discovered areas of the surrounding ocean floor were softer than originally determined, a source said Wednesday.
Completion of the base in the Henoko coastal area of Nago, where reclamation work is underway, could be pushed beyond the fiscal 2022 target due to the additional work needed.
The Defense Ministry now estimates it could take three years and eight months to improve the seabed at the planned landfill site for the construction of the facility that would replace U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan, according to the source.