U.S. Marines begin moving partially from Okinawa, Japan, to Guam under a plan agreed upon 12 years ago

TOKYO (AP) — A partial move of U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam began Saturday, officials said, 12 years after Japan and the U.S. agreed to realign the heavy burden on the U.S. military presence on Japan’s southern islands. .

The relocation began with 100 members of the Okinawa-based 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force heading to the Pacific islands for initial logistics work, the U.S. Marine Corps and Japan’s Defense Ministry said in a joint statement.

Under the plan agreed upon by Tokyo and Washington in April 2012, about 9,000 of the 19,000 Marines currently stationed in Okinawa will be withdrawn from Okinawa, and about 4,000 of them will be transferred to Guam in stages. Details including the size and timing of the next transfer were not immediately available.

The Marine Corps is committed to defending Japan and meeting the operational requirements to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific, and will maintain a presence in the region “through the stationing and rotation of Marines in Japan, Guam, and Hawaii.”

Japan has paid up to US$2.8 billion for the infrastructure construction of the US base in Guam, and the US government will fund the remaining costs. The two governments will continue to collaborate on the development of Camp Bratz, which will serve as the primary facility for the Marine Corps in Guam.

The statement said that the Marine Corps and the Japanese Self-Defense Force will conduct joint training in Guam.

Okinawa was occupied by the United States after the war until 1972. According to the bilateral security treaty, there are currently more than 50,000 US troops stationed in Japan, most of which are still stationed in Okinawa. 70% of the US military facilities are in Okinawa, and Okinawa The island occupies only 0.6% of Japan’s land.

Many Okinawans have long complained about the heavy U.S. military presence on the island and say Okinawa faces problems with noise, pollution, aircraft accidents and crime related to U.S. troops.

The relocation is likely to be welcomed by local residents, but the extent to which they will feel an improvement is uncertain as Japan rapidly builds up military power in the Okinawa archipelago to deter threats from China.

The Marine Corps’ move comes as a series of sexual assault cases involving U.S. service members has led to growing anti-U.S. military sentiment.

A senior airman at Kadena Air Base was convicted Thursday of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a teenage girl last year, a case that sparked outrage on the island. The Naha District Court sentenced him to five years in prison.