Tokyo (AP) Twelve years after Japan and the United States agreed on their realignment to lessen the significant weight of American soldier presence on the southern Japanese island, the partial relocation of U.S. Marines from Okinawato Guam started on Saturday, according to officials.
According to a joint statement from the U.S. Marine Corps and Japan’s Defense Ministry, the move began with 100 members of the III Marine Expeditionary Force stationed on Okinawa traveling to the Pacific island for the first logistical tasks.
About 9,000 of the 19,000 Marines currently stationed on Okinawa are to be evacuated out of the island, with roughly 4,000 of them to be moved to Guam in phases, as part of the plan that Tokyo and Washington agreed upon in April 2012. Information was not immediately made public, including the next transfer’s amount and date.
According to the joint statement, the Marine Corps will continue to have a presence in the Indo-Pacific by stationing and rotating Marines in Japan, Guam, and Hawaii. The Marine Corps is dedicated to defending Japan and fulfilling operational requirements to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The U.S. government will cover the remaining expenses for the infrastructure construction at the U.S. bases in Guam, which Japan has already paid up to $2.8 billion for. Camp Blaz will be the primary site for Marines stationed on Guam, and the two governments will continue to work together to improve it.
According to the announcement, the Marines and Japan Self Defense Forces will train together on Guam.
Most of the more than 50,000 American troops stationed in Japan under a bilateral security pact still reside on Okinawa, which was occupied by the United States after the war until 1972. Additionally, 70% of U.S. military installations are located in Okinawa, which makes up just 0.6% of Japanese territory.
Many Okinawans have long voiced their displeasure with the significant American military presence on the island, claiming that American troops are responsible for crime, noise pollution, and aviation accidents.
Locals will probably welcome the move, but it’s unclear how much of an improvement they’ll notice given the Japanese military’s quick buildup on the Okinawan islands as a deterrent to Chinese threats.
The beginning of the Marines’ move coincides with a surge in anti-American military sentiment in the wake of several allegations of sexual assault involving US service members.
In a case that sparked uproar on the island, a senior Air Force service member from Kadena Air Base was found guilty on Thursday of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a teenage girl last year. He was given a five-year prison sentence by the Naha District Court.
The Associated Press, 2024. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. It is prohibited to publish, broadcast, rewrite, or redistribute this content without authorization.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!