Japan-U.S. Agreement on Futenma Air Station Land Return Reached 30 Years Ago; Legal Battles Contributed to Long Delays

By Kazuhiko Hori and Hirotaka Kuriyama / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

20:00 JST, April 11, 2026

April 12 marks 30 years since the Japanese and U.S. governments reached an agreement on the full return to Japan of the land occupied by the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture.

Construction of the replacement facility in the Henoko district of Nago, the relocation site stipulated in the agreement, is still underway, with completion expected sometime in the mid-2030s.

The government intends to steadily advance the relocation plan, with the aims of reducing the burden on the local community and ensuring the stability of the Japan-U.S. alliance.

Years of delays

Osprey transport aircraft took off from Futenma Air Station, located in the city’s center, on Friday, and flew over a nearby residential area.

When then Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and then U.S. Ambassador to Japan Walter Mondale inked the agreement on April 12, 1996, the return was supposed to take place “within five to seven years.”

Despite the return being a long-held wish of many of the prefecture’s residents, there have been substantial delays. Causes for this include the legal battle between the national government and the Okinawa prefectural government — which opposes the relocation to Henoko — that lasted more than nine years before it was concluded in January 2025.

“I want this to be resolved as soon as possible. I had thought the alternative facility in Henoko would be completed during my lifetime,” Tetsuya Higa, 98, told reporters. The former mayor of Nago had accepted the relocation to Henoko in 1997.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at a press conference on Friday: “Futenma Air Station is said to be the most dangerous in the world. The starting point is removing the danger.”

Logistical challenges

Along the Henoko coast, work to improve the ground is underway along the eastern side of the land reclamation zone. Sand compaction piles and other structures are being drive into the ground to improve its stability. The reclamation work was only approximately 17% complete as of the end of February.

The plan calls for approximately four years just for ground improvement, and about 12 years for the relocation to be completed.

According to a senior Defense Ministry official, the land reclamation work is difficult and without precedent in Japan. However, the government remains committed to reaching completion, as the return of the land will reduce the burden on local communities. This will help gain their understanding, which is deemed essential for the stable stationing of U.S. forces.

“If [Futenma] air station becomes a permanent base and a serious accident occurs, anti-U.S. military sentiment could surge,” said a government official.

Over the past 30 years, the security environment has changed dramatically, and the importance of U.S. forces stationed in Okinawa for deterring China has increased.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the United States spent 20 times more on defense than China — in dollar terms — 30 years ago. It now spends only three times more. The U.S. forces’ overwhelming superiority has vanished, and China is enhancing its capacity to prevent U.S. forces from approaching in the event of a contingency, including through missile attacks.

Under such circumstances, the U.S. Marine Corps advocates “expeditionary advanced base operations,” which involves deploying mobile forces to frontline island outposts and establishing bases for anti-ship attacks and missile air defense.

The U.S. Marine Corps stationed in Okinawa is assumed to play a pivotal role in the operations. A spokesperson told reporters, “Because of Okinawa’s strategic location, the Marine Corps can respond swiftly to unforeseen contingencies in the Indo-Pacific region.”

Runway remains an issue

To realize the return of the land, it may become necessary to improve the operational environment, as sought by U.S. forces, in addition to readying the Henoko facility.

The runway at Futenma Air Station is 2,740 meters long, whereas the one at Henoko will be only 1,800 meters long. In February, a U.S. Department of Defense document revealed that unless the Japanese government provides a longer runway, “Futenma Air Station will not be returned.”

In the conditions for the return originally agreed upon by Japan and the United States in 2013, there is a provision requiring a civilian facility with a long enough runway be modified so that U.S. forces can use it in an emergency.

It is believed that U.S. concerns stem from the prefecture’s opposition to the use of Naha Airport, a leading candidate, by U.S. forces. The government, despite understanding that the prefecture does not have the authority to decide who can use the airport, intends to continue efforts to gain its understanding.