Japan has approved the relocation of a US military airbase on its southern island of Okinawa. Official sources said the governor, Hirokazu Nakaima, agreed to landfill work to develop a new base in a less densely populated part of the island.

The agreement is a breakthrough following years of deadlock over where a new US base should be placed. The US has around 26,000 troops on Okinawa under a long-standing security alliance with Japan.