Japan plans new talks on Okinawa base

TOKYO, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- Japan's foreign minister expects an agreement soon on relocating an American base in Okinawa.

Kyodo News Service reports that Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura, appearing on television Sunday, said that the U.S. plan to move the Marine Corps Futemma Air Station to an offshore site, while long overdue is still on the table. The plan was delayed by local objections to the move.

Machimura said he expects the base's future to be decided during upcoming talks on the realignment of U.S. military forces in Japan. Japanese newspapers have reported that the marine base could be moved to the mainland or outside the country entirely.