Japan extends construction period for U.S. base in Okinawa to 10 yrs

Japan has decided to extend the construction period for a facility to transfer a key U.S. military base within Okinawa to about 10 years from its initial plan of five years, government officials said Sunday.The extension of the plan to relocate U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma has become inevitable as more time is needed to reinforce the weak seafloor in an area where reclamation work is due to be carried out, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.With the decision, the likelihood is high that the return to Japan of land now used for the U.S. air base in a crowded res…READ FULL ARTICLE