Japan/United States: Hatoyama seeks new relocation site for U.S. base, but no conclusion yet.

Section: General News - Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Tuesday said he will seek a new relocation site for a key U.S. military airfield in Okinawa other than that agreed between Japan and the United States in 2006, adding he would need "several months" to reach a conclusion on the issue.

The remarks were made after the government decided to put off making a decision on the issue until next year, without setting any deadline -- a move certain to frustrate the United States which has been calling on Japan to swiftly abide by the existing accord.

"I want to do everything in my power to create a situation in which we will seek a site that is not in Henoko, if possible, and to settle on it," Hatoyama told reporters, referring to the name of the location in Okinawa that is designated under the 2006 Japan-U.S. accord to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps' Futemma Air Station. …