Defense Minister Minoru Kihara met with Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki on Saturday to seek his understanding over the transfer of a key U.S. military base within the island prefecture.
The meeting came over a month after the central government started construction work on a part of the new base for relocation, following its unprecedented decision to override the local authority's objection to the project.
Kihara stressed the need to strengthen defense capabilities in the country's southwestern region, where Okinawa is located, although Tamaki responded by saying he hoped the central government would "accept the wishes of the prefecture's residents" and stop the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to the coastal Henoko area.