Accord announced on U.S. base relocation

TOKYO, May 28 (UPI) -- Japan and the United States Friday announced accord on the thorny issue of relocating the U.S. Marine base in Okinawa.

In a joint statement, the two sides said the base's Futenma air station, currently in Ginowan, Okinawa, would be moved to the less populated Henoko coast in Nago City, also in Okinawa.

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama in his election campaign last August had pledged to move the Marine base out of Okinawa. But the United States had insisted there can be no change in a 2006 deal, reached after intense negotiations, that envisioned keeping the facilities within Okinawa.

The issue had become a major irritant in U.S-Japanese relations. There had been months of review by the Hatoyama government prior to Friday's announcement.

The two sides would ensure an environmental impact assessment and construction of the replacement facility would be "completed without significant delay," Kyodo News reported.

The 2006 deal had called for heliport functions at the Futenma air station to be moved to Henoko by 2014. The accord reaffirmed that the replacement facility would be located ''at the Camp Schwab Henoko-saki area and adjacent waters with the runway portion(s) of the facility to be 1,800 meters (5,905 feet) long, inclusive of overruns, exclusive of seawalls.''

The accord confirmed 8,000 Marines in Okinawa and their 9,000 dependents would transfer to the U.S. territory of Guam by 2014, contingent on tangible progress in completing the new facility.

The accord said more of the helicopter drills Futenma would be done outside of Okinawa. The likely sites include Japan's Self-Defense Forces bases on the mainland and Guam.

The two sides also would consider access to U.S. facilities and areas for environmental surveys prior to handing over of the land to local authorities in Okinawa.