Senior US and Japanese officials met in Washington, to discuss the relocation of a US airbase on Okinawa.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates held talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto and Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa.
The two allies agreed to not to build a new airstrip on Okinawa and transfer some 8-thousand US Marines to Guam. They vowed instead to complete the projects at the earliest possible date. The relocation plan was formalized in 2006.
A US Senate committee last week voted to block funds for the relocation, citing high costs. Controversy over the Futenma base contributed to last year's resignation of former Japanese Prime
Minister Yukio Hatayama.
Robert Gates, US Secretary of Defense, said, "It is critical that we move forward with the relocation of Futenma and the construction of facilities in Guam for the US Marines. Doing so will reduce the impact of our presence on local residents in Okinawa while allowing us to maintain capabilities critical to the alliance in Japan."
Toshimi Kitazawa, Japanese Defense Minister, said, "We also decided on the V-shaped configuration for the runways in connection with the Futenma relocation issue and I think this is very important progress toward the relocation of the facilities. We decided to remove the deadline of 2014 for its completion but in order to avoid the continued use of the air station, we also confirmed that we shall
strive for the earliest possible relocation."