TOKYO (THE YOMIURI SHIMBUN/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – It will still be a long time before the area of the US Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, is returned.

The central government must patiently work on the relocation plan for the base.

The Defence Ministry has applied to the Okinawa prefectural government for changes to the plans concerning relocation of the Futenma Air Station to the Henoko area of Nago.

The move is based on the law on reclamation of publicly owned water surfaces, asking for permission to drive about 70,000 piles into the seabed to improve the soft ground in the northeastern part of Henoko, where construction has not yet begun.

This method was also used in the construction of Yokohama Port and Kansai International Airport, but for the reclamation in Henoko, piles must be driven to an unprecedented depth, sources said. The work is expected to be difficult.

To prevent invasive species from entering the Henoko area, the Defence Ministry has also applied for permission to procure soil and sand from Okinawa Prefecture in principle.

It is important to proceed with the construction with consideration for safety and the environment, listening to the advice of experts.

The return of the Futenma area will reportedly be carried over into the 2030s due to additional construction work, among other factors.

Construction costs are expected to rise to ¥930 billion ($12.3 billion), nearly three times the initial plan.

The prefectural governor’s approval is required to make changes to the plan, but Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki is opposing the central government, saying, “I can’t accept the unilateral procedure.”

If the prefectural government refuses to accept the application, the central government plans to file a lawsuit against it.

The Okinawa government filed a suit against the central government last year, insisting on the legitimacy of the withdrawal of approval for reclamation work.

The trial continues at the Naha District Court. If the central and prefectural governments are engaged in court battles, the return of the Futenma area will be further delayed.

Since the Futenma base is surrounded by schools and residential areas, it is essential to reduce noise damage and the danger of accidents.

The central and prefectural governments have a heavy responsibility to avoid the base remaining permanently.

A new airfield to be built in Henoko will be adjacent to the US military’s Camp Schwab and take up a third of the area of the Futenma base.

Helicopters fly mainly over the sea. The impact on residents’ lives seems to be limited.

Japan has a severe security environment.

The relocation plan to Henoko is a realistic option to resolve the Futenma base issues while maintaining deterrence.

In response to strong requests from the Okinawa government, the Japanese and US governments reached an agreement on the return of the Futenma area in 1996 and decided on the current Henoko plan in 2006.

Since then, the target date for the return has been postponed several times.

It is believed that the current situation has been caused by the Okinawa government’s confrontational stance against the central government, which has continued since the administration of the former governor, as well as the straying of the former Democratic Party of Japan administration, when then Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama insisted that the Futenma base “must be relocated outside the prefecture.”

Last year, the Defence Ministry applied for the transfer of coral from the Henoko district to another sea area, but the prefectural government postponed its decision. This attitude should be called dishonest.

Mr Tamaki should seek a realistic way to reduce the burden of hosting US bases and hold talks repeatedly with the central government.

The Yomiuri Shimbun is a member of The Straits Times media partner Asia News Network, an alliance of 24 news media organisations.

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