Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has dropped his self-imposed May 31 deadline for deciding where to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa amid fierce opposition from local residents to moving it within the prefecture, government sources said May 11.

Hatoyama held a meeting earlier in the day with Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada, Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa and other officials to try to find a final solution on where to move the base, which is located in Ginowan.

Hatoyama has given up on his promise to gain approval from local residents and Washington by the end of this month, and will instead focus on negotiations with the United States to seek a breakthrough on the stalled issue, which has soured bilateral relations since the government was formed last September, the sources said.

Kyodo News