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[Provisional Translation]

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a press conference at the Prime Minister's Office regarding the acceptance of the recommendation for a settlement related to the relocation of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Futenma in Okinawa.

The Prime Minister stated at the press conference,

“Today, the Government made a decision to accept the court’s recommendation and come to a settlement with Okinawa Prefectural Government.

There is no change to the Government’s position that relocation to Henoko is the only option in order to realize the full return of MCAS Futenma, which has been an outstanding issue for 20 years.

However, if the current situation persists, whereby the legal battles between the national Government and Okinawa Prefecture continue to unfold endlessly, there would only be deadlock. Furthermore, this could result in the indefinite use of MCAS Futenma, which is situated in a densely populated area surrounded by houses and schools at a city center, and the prolonging of the current situation in Okinawa. It is the opinion of the court that no one wishes to see that happen, and in line with that opinion, we have decided to settle this case.

The Government will faithfully abide by the content of the settlement and halt the landfill construction. I have just issued those instructions to Defense Minister Nakatani. In accordance with the procedures presented by the court, we will proceed with consultations with Okinawa Prefectural Government toward the amicable resolution of this issue.

That being said, the Government and Okinawa Prefectural Government have agreed that if a judicial ruling is issued, both sides will obey that ruling and work together earnestly to respond to it.

We will remove the risk of MCAS Futenma and mitigate the impact on Okinawa even if only slightly. I believe that both the Government and Okinawa Prefectural Government feel exactly the same way. There is absolutely no difference between us on this point.

The Government and Okinawa Prefectural Government must work together and make efforts toward this shared goal. I believe that this settlement recommendation is a major step toward this goal.”

Additionally, in response to a question regarding the way forward, the Prime Minister said,

“The court has issued a settlement recommendation, and both the Government and Okinawa Prefectural Government have accepted it. I think that both the Government and Okinawa Prefectural Government are now expected to faithfully implement the content of this settlement.

If the court ultimately hands down a judicial ruling, both the Government and Okinawa Prefectural Government intend to respond to that in good faith. That is what this settlement recommendation entails.”