Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary has told the governor of Okinawa that he plans to hold a working group meeting to discuss reducing the prefecture's burden of hosting the US Marine Corps Futenma Air Station.

Hayashi Yoshimasa, who is also the Minister in charge of Mitigating the Impact of US Forces in Okinawa, met Governor Tamaki Denny on Sunday. Hayashi was visiting the southern prefecture for the first time since he assumed the post.

Hayashi said Okinawa bears heavy burdens of hosting US bases, and it is his duty as the minister in charge to implement measures one by one to reduce them.

He conveyed his intention to make arrangements for a working group meeting of the central government, Okinawa Prefecture, and Ginowan City, where the air station is currently located. It would be the first such meeting since February last year.

The central government plans to transfer the Futenma air station to Henoko in Nago City, also in Okinawa. The Okinawa prefectural government opposes the plan, and refused to approve the necessary work to reinforce the ground at the planned relocation site.

The central government started the reinforcement work earlier this month, after winning a court ruling that allowed the land ministry to override the prefecture's objections.

Tamaki told Hayashi he wants the central government to accept the objections that the people of Okinawa have expressed in gubernatorial elections.

He urged the central government to suspend the reinforcement work and hold dialogue with the prefecture.

Hayashi told reporters after the meeting that the government plans to proceed with the relocation project to realize the return of the land used by the Futenma base as soon as possible.

He said the government wants to communicate with the prefecture at various levels, including working group meetings.