Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said Sunday the government will proceed with the planned U.S. military base relocation within Okinawa Prefecture.
"In order to realize the full return of the (U.S. Marine Corps') Futenma air base as soon as possible, we'll move ahead with the work toward its relocation to the Henoko district" in Nago, Hayashi told reporters after meeting with Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki at the prefectural office in Naha, on Sunday afternoon.
During the meeting with Hayashi, Tamaki demanded that the central government immediately stop the ongoing landfill work related to the relocation project. The chief Cabinet secretary clarified that the central government will not respond to the demand by saying that it will advance the relocation project.