US to return Okinawa land to Japanese government

[Ayoshi]

US returning land to Japan it's controlled since World War II | CNN

The 9,852 acres of land on the island of Okinawa, part of a territory officially referred to as the Northern Training Area, is in a large US military base complex on the Pacific island more than 960 miles (1,550 kilometers) southwest of Tokyo.

The US had turned most of Okinawa over to Japan in 1972 after controlling it from the end of World War II in 1945.

US returns some land on Okinawa to Japan govt, largest transfer since '72 | Interaksyon - December 21, 2016

The US military said in a statement Japan had made sufficient progress in building helipads and access roads to consolidate military training in other areas and allow for the return of the 9,909 acres.

The returned land is part of the Northern Training Area, or Camp Gonsalves or the Jungle Warfare Training Center, and is the largest US installation in Japan with 19,300 acres of land.

Okinawa, which was under US occupation until 1972, hosts the bulk of the approximately 50,000 US military personnel in Japan.

Although agreed in 1996, the return of the land was delayed by protesters blocking the construction of helipads. The Japanese government recently resumed work at the site.

Japan's top court on Tuesday ruled in favor of the government plan to relocate the Futenma base to another part of the island, dealing a blow to islanders' efforts to get rid of it altogether.