Saying he is ready to "risk his life" to achieve an acceptable outcome, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama expressed confidence Wednesday that the issue of relocating U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma will be resolved by the end of May as promised.
During Diet debate with opposition leaders, Hatoyama declared he has a plan that is superior to the 2006 accord reached by the then ruling Liberal Democratic Party. That pact calls for moving Futenma's aircraft operations to the Henoko coast of Camp Schwab in Nago by 2014.
"As the person who will be going through tough negotiations with the United States, I do not have any thoughts about failing" to reach an agreement. "I will risk my life to get results."