Spokesperson Briefing: Agreement on Henoko Base Construction

The subject is the construction of a new base in Henoko, Nago City, which will serve as a replacement facility for the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station. According to the Ministry of Defense, the agreement at the Japan-U.S. Joint Committee meeting was reached after coordination between Japan and the United States was completed regarding the carrying out of part of the reclamation and part of the ground improvement work in the reclamation area on the Oura Bay side.

Based on the agreement, the Ministry of Defense states that it will steadily advance the work toward the Henoko relocation in order to achieve the earliest possible full return of Futenma Air Station and reduce the burden of hosting military bases.

The agreement covers carrying out part of the reclamation in the reclamation area on the Oura Bay side and part of the ground improvement work. The Ministry of Defense explains that, as a matter of procedure, full agreement has thereby been reached on carrying out the reclamation and ground improvement work related to this project.

Work began on the Oura Bay side in January 2024, seawall construction and reclamation work proceeded in sequence from February of the same year onward, and ground improvement work began in December of that year. It is further reported that new reclamation work on the Oura Bay side began in June 2026.