Report: Deal set on Okinawa base handover

TOKYO, March 31 (UPI) -- Japanese officials said they reached agreement with the United States this weekend on the handover to Japan of one of five U.S. bases on Okinawa.

Government sources told The Yokiuri Shimbun the broad agreement would lead to the Makiminato Service Area in southern Okinawa being turned over to Tokyo in the mid-2020s.

Officials with the Okinawa Prefecture have been particularly adamant about taking control of the sprawling Makiminato Service Area in Urasoe, which the newspaper said sits along a major highway.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe personally asked President Barack Obama to speed up the transfer of the base.

Talks are ongoing on the handover of the other four installations by 2030, the newspaper said.