Okinawa Governor Seeks Timetable for Transfer of U.S. Marines

   Naha, Okinawa Pref., Dec. 15 (Jiji Press)--Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki on Sunday called on the Japanese government to show a concrete timetable for the transfer of U.S. Marines in Okinawa to Guam, following the recent start of the relocation.
   Tamaki made the request in a meeting with Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, who reported to the governor the start of the relocation and underscored the central government's intention to redouble efforts to reduce Okinawa Prefecture's burden of hosting U.S. troops and military facilities.
   A road map drawn up in 2006 on the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan calls for relocating some 9,000 of about 19,000 U.S. Marines in the southernmost Japan prefecture to areas outside Japan, including Guam.
   At the meeting, held in Naha, Okinawa's capital, Nakatani told Tamaki that the first group of about 100 Marines has started to move to Guam. "We are reaching a major milestone, and this is a very important project," the minister said.
   In response, Tamaki noted that a concrete timetable for the relocation project has not been shown. "We urge (the government) to present a clear relocation plan and complete the whole relocation process as early as possible," he said.

(2024/12/15-21:54)

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