Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka said Wednesday he hopes to visit Okinawa later this month to seek ways to resolve issues over the reorganization of U.S. military bases in the prefecture and to help revive the ailing local economy.
According to government sources, Nonaka is expected to visit Okinawa as early as Dec. 28, after the government finishes compiling a budget for the next fiscal year.
At a regular news conference, Nonaka said he has not visited Okinawa since he became chief Cabinet secretary, a position also responsible for issues related to Okinawa. "(Okinawa's) new Gov. (Keiichi) Inamine will come to Tokyo for a policy conference with the government Friday. I'd like to talk with Mr. Inamine then and try to visit Okinawa if possible," Nonaka said.
Following Inamine's victory in the Okinawa gubernatorial election last month, the government decided to resume a policy dialogue that had been stalled for nearly a year, and the first such meeting is to be held Friday.
During the policy talks, the central government is likely to express its readiness to increase the portion of the next fiscal year's budget to be used flexibly for project research and planning to stimulate Okinawa's economy, government sources said. For such purposes as research and planning, the government has set aside 5 billion yen in the current fiscal year.