普天間返還、３０年代以降に　辺野古移設、埋め立て工期１０年

　米軍普天間飛行場（沖縄県宜野湾市）の名護市辺野古への移設計画で、埋め立て海域の軟弱地盤改良のため、政府が工期を当初想定の５年から１０年程度に延長せざるを得ないと判断していることが２３日、分かった。その後の施設整備にも３年を見込み、早ければ２０２２年度以降としていた普天間返還時期は、３０年代以降に大幅にずれ込むことになる。
　防衛省は２５日にも土木工学などの専門家による「技術検討会」を開き、工期の見積もりを報告する。工事の長期化に伴い、これまで「３５００億円以上」としてきた費用もさらに膨らむことは確実だ。ただ、政府側は「辺野古が唯一の解決策」との立場を変えておらず、引き続き工事を継続する考えだ。（2019/12/23-15:38）

The Japanese government has concluded that it has to extend the period for landfilling to about 10 years from the initially planned five years for a project to relocate U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma air base in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, informed sources said Monday.
   The expected extension means that the return of the current site of the Futenma base to Japan could be delayed into the 2030s at the earliest from the current plan of as early as fiscal 2022, after taking into account the three years needed to build facilities.
   The government's conclusion reflects the time needed to improve soft ground on the seafloor in an offshore area of the relocation site in the Henoko district in Nago, also in Okinawa, the sources said.
   The Defense Ministry will report the new estimate on the period for landfilling to a meeting of experts in civil engineering and related fields as early as Wednesday, the sources said.
   A delay in the relocation project will inevitably require more money than the current estimate of at least 350 billion yen.