US, Japan Reach Agreement to transport 9,000 Marines

The America and Japan have reached an agreement to transport about 9,000 U.S. Marines at the Japanese island of Okinawa to locations outside of Japan. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, traveling in Santiago, Chile, Thursday, is applauding the deal so they can see the Marines moved to other locations within the Asia-Pacific region.

The agreement comes after years of protests by Japanese residents of Okinawa who've complained of crime, noise, and low incidents of bad behavior by U.S troops in keeping with the island.

The Country and Japan issued a joint statement announcing the deal, which comes after years of negotiations which were stalled by political controversy in both countries. U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta called it a vital agreement.

Pentagon spokesman George Little says the deal is in keeping with the administration's new defense strategy that demands a shift in focus to the Asia Pacific region, in addition to the center East. “It signals our commitment to Japan," he explained. "It signals our commitment to Asia Pacific and it's a reflection of our emphasis on Asia Pacific.”

Little says the timeline for moving the Marines out of Okinawa is yet to be set. “At the tip of the day we're staring at drawing down about 9,000 and repositioning from Okinawa and repositioning about 5,000 or so that you could Guam and here is perfectly in step with what we've been talking about for a while with our Japanese allies,” he said.

Related story - Marines Move Off Okinawa, Face Challenges

In addition to Guam, troops are to be moved to Hawaii and other locations within the Pacific outside of Japan. About 10,000 Marines are to stay at the island.

A deal to near the island's Futenma airbase, which was the objective of protests by Japanese residents, has yet to be reached.

The Usa maintains just below 50,000 troops in Japan under an agreement signed by both countries in 1960, 15 years after the u. s. defeated Japan within the Second World War.

Protests against the presence of U.S troops on Okinawa began after the 1995 rape of a Japanese schoolgirl by a couple of U.S soldiers.

From WhatNewsToday.net

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