U.S.-Japan deal withdraws 9,000 Marines from Okinawa

Thousands of Marines and their families will be transferred off Okinawa under an agreement that will reduce the American military footprint in Japan, U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said late Thursday.
Under the agreement, some 9,000 Marines belonging to the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force will be moved off Okinawa, with roughly half being reassigned to bases in Guam, according to a joint statement released by the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee.
"I am very pleased that, after many years, we have reached this important agreement and plan of action," Panetta said.


The announcement by the committee, which included key U.S. and Japanese defense officials, ends years of seesaw talks aimed at cutting the American presence on the island south of Tokyo.
Though no exact timetable was given to transfer the Marines, preparations are under way at Guam, a U.S. territory.

"Recognizing the strong desires of Okinawa residents, these relocations are to be completed as soon as possible while ensuring operational capability throughout the process," the statement said.
Marines from the island will also be sent to Hawaii and Australia, where the U.S. military is working to increase its presence.

It's hoped the reduction of forces on the island will reduce the friction between locals and military personnel that has been exacerbated in recent years by misunderstandings and isolated criminal acts by American personnel.

The call for the U.S. military to leave Okinawa escalated following the 1995 rape of 12-year-old Japanese girl by three U.S. military personnel, a crime that shocked Japanese sensibilities.
A year later, the Washington and Tokyo signed an agreement to reduce the amount of land being occupied by U.S. forces.

By 2006, both sides reached an agreement that would relocate thousands of Marines off the island once the Marine Corps Air Station at Futenma was closed and relocated. That plan stalled after widespread protests over proposed locations for the new air base on Okinawa.
Futenma is not addressed under the agreement announced Thursday to move the Marines.
About 40,000 U.S. military personnel are based in Japan, with more than three-quarters of the troops based in Okinawa.

The U.S. military has had an almost continuous presence on Okinawa since 1945.
The Battle of Okinawa, which lasted 82 days from late March through June 1945, was the last major campaign for U.S. forces in the Pacific during World War II.

Okinawa has been a major launching point for U.S. forces over the years, and much of the U.S. assistance to last year's Japanese earthquake was launched from the bases.