The construction work is expected to take four years during which the ministry will build runways and ammunition storage facilities and also pay compensation of around ¥2.2bn (£14m) to local fishermen who will not be able to operate during this period.
Development of the 8km2 island will allow US carrier-borne fighters to relocate from their current training site on Iwoto Island in the Pacific, about 1,250 kilometers south of Tokyo.
As well as two runways and ammunition bunkers, the development will include construction of a fuel facility, aircraft hangars and several wharves.
The location of Mage Island is significant. Japan and the US want to strengthen defences on the so-called ‘first island chain’ in the East China Sea and Western Pacific close to Taiwan amid growing security concerns over Chinese expansionism.
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