Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano on Friday denied reports that the government has abandoned a plan to partially relocate U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to White Beach in eastern Okinawa Island, claiming such a proposal was never officially made in the first place.
Media reports said Hirano, who heads a panel on the relocation issue, shared a plan with Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima earlier this month to build an artificial island and move some of Futenma's facilities to the area off White Beach and the Katsuren Peninsula. But the government reportedly gave up on the idea due to opposition from local residents.
"I'm not aware of what it is you are talking about," Hirano told reporters Friday after being asked to confirm the reports. "I haven't spoken of a specific site with the governor. We talked about how the media are reporting some options, but never discussed any official plan of the government."