Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Thursday effectively retracted his pledge to resolve the Futenma relocation dispute by his self-imposed deadline, saying he will continue negotiations beyond June if his administration can't reach a comprehensive deal this month.
"If there are issues that need to be discussed in June and beyond, we will obviously work hard," Hatoyama told reporters.
He repeated that agreeing on a deal by May 31 is a promise he intends to keep but acknowledged it is uncertain that a conclusion can be reached by then.