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An influential US senator has urged the Defense Secretary to consider an alternative plan for relocating the US Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Okinawa, Japan.

In a letter sent to Secretary Leon Panetta on Wednesday, Democratic Senator Jim Webb recommended a plan to integrate functions of Futenma into the Kadena Air Base, also in Okinawa.

He said this should happen after part of the air force now in Kadena is transferred to another base.

Webb, who chairs a Senate subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific, has been pushing the option with several other senators, saying it is more realistic.

Webb also said in the letter that senior officials of the Defense Department and the military have repeatedly told him of deep concerns over the affordability and workability of the 2006 Japan-US agreement, which calls for building a new airfield in another part of Okinawa.

He added that both the US and Japanese governments seem unable to admit this publicly.

Webb said it will be in the US interest to quickly and effectively resolve the relocation issue.

The letter, issued ahead of Panetta's visit to Japan next week, reflects the Senate's strong concerns over the viability of the current roadmap on Futenma.

In June, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates said substantial progress should be made within a year.