A Japanese governor has approved a measure to allow for the relocation of a controversial U.S. military base on Okinawa , breaking 17 years of stagnation on the base 's transfer plan , the government of Okinawa said Friday . The Okinawa prefecture 's Gov . Hirokazu Nakaima on Friday approved a landfill proposal by the Japanese central government that will permit the construction of new military facilities in a sparsely populated area . The Pentagon praised the move . `` This decision comes after many years of sustained effort between the United States and Japan , and it is the most significant milestone achieved in these realignment efforts so far , '' Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in a written statement , which the Pentagon initially attributed to Rear Adm. John Kirby , the Pentagon press secretary , before correcting it . `` The realignment effort is absolutely critical to the United States ' ongoing rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region and our ability to maintain a geographically distributed , operationally resilient , and politically sustainable force posture in the region . '' The Futenma air base , which is in a highly populated area , has been unpopular with the island 's residents due to crimes committed by U.S. military personnel and allegations against them in the past . Many residents were incensed by the rape of a 12-year-old Japanese girl in 1995 by three U.S. military personnel . It sparked some of the worst anti-U.S. military demonstrations seen in Japan in decades . In 2002 , a U.S. staff sergeant in the Air Force was convicted of raping a Japanese woman in a parking lot outside a popular nightclub in Okinawa . Intense media coverage of the case brought pressure on the Japanese government to review its agreement with the United States about handling criminal cases in Japan involving the U.S. military . And allegations that a Marine raped a 14-year-old girl caused a furor in 2008 . The girl later decided not to pursue charges . In 2012 , three U.S. servicemen were arrested in connection with rapes in Okinawa . About half of all U.S. military personnel in Japan are stationed on the island . The stagnation of the relocation issue has been a thorn in the side of relations between Tokyo and Washington since 1996 when the two governments agreed on the original plan to move the base . Nakaima , the governor , also implied that escalating tension with neighboring countries pushed Okinawa to cooperate with the central government . `` Regardless the will of the Okinawa people , the tension is heightening on ( the ) international front . Okinawa needs to play a certain role for that , '' he said . Okinawa administers the Senkaku Isands , a flash point in a territorial dispute between Japan and China . China claims them as territory and calls them the Diaoyu Islands .
The Pentagon praises the move as a `` significant milestone '' Regional governor OKs a landfill proposal to permit construction of new military facilities . July 16, 2012 at 6:47 pm | John in Texas Actions of U.S. service personnel have made base unpopular with residents .