The government on Friday started landfill work, depositing soil and sand in the coastal area of the Henoko district in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, where land will be reclaimed and used for the replacement facility for the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station, marking the start of a new phase in the base's planned transfer.
The landfill work in the planned construction area is the first since the Japanese and U.S. governments agreed in 1996 that the Futenma base in Ginowan in the prefecture would be returned to Japan. The Okinawa prefectural government, which opposes the transfer of the base's function to Henoko, is stepping up its efforts to counter the latest development.
The soil and sand were poured into a section encircled by seawalls on the southern side of the planned reclamation area. The sediment arrived by ship at a seawall under construction at the northern side of the area, was loaded into dump trucks to be driven overland to the southern side, and then was tipped out with the help of heavy machinery.
The section where the landfill work has started covers about six hectares, or around 4 percent of the total area to be reclaimed. The Defense Ministry plans to complete reclamation work in this section in about six months.
The ministry considered the start of landfill work to be a major milestone because progress in reclamation will make restoring the site to its original condition more difficult. The government aims to complete construction needed for the base transfer by fiscal 2022 at the soonest and have the full Futenma site returned. However, the plan is running significantly behind schedule.
"It's true that achieving this goal has become rather difficult," Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said to reporters after Friday morning's Cabinet meeting.
At a press conference after the Cabinet meeting, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga emphasized the importance of pressing ahead with the base transfer. "The relocation to Henoko is the only solution when considering how to maintain the deterrent [provided by U.S. military forces] and remove the dangers posed by Futenma in its current location," Suga said.
"The government should realize that the more it charges ahead with this construction work, the angrier the residents of Okinawa Prefecture become," Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki said at the press conference at the prefectural government office Friday morning.
Tamaki is poised to continue his stand against the base and try to block the transfer by exercising his authority as governor. Coral in the northern sector of the planned reclamation area will have to be transplanted to another area, which will require special permission from the governor. If Tamaki refuses to grant such permission and takes other steps, construction of the new base will be delayed and the timing of Futenma's return could be further pushed back.
Base opponents continued their protest activities in boats in waters near the reclamation area. The Japan Coast Guard and other authorities were maintaining security in the area.
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