JAPAN

Futenma base site not yet returned to Japan, 30 years on

Tokyo and Washington initially said that the return of the site in the Okinawa city of Ginowan would be realized within five to seven years of the agreement.

By The Japan Times

• April 13, 2026 at 9:14 AM

Futenma base site not yet returned to Japan, 30 years on Photo: The Japan Times

Work is underway to reinforce the soft seabed off the Henoko coast in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, in January 2025
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Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa Prefecture has yet to be returned to Japan, although 30 years have passed since the two nations agreed on the transfer.Tokyo and Washington initially said that the return of the site in the Okinawa city of Ginowan would be realized within five to seven years of the agreement
But no concrete date has been decided yet, reflecting strong local opposition to a plan to relocate the air base to the Henoko coastal district in Nago, another city in Okinawa."We take seriously the fact that the return has not been realized yet," Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a regular news conference Friday.

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