Number of U.S. marines in Okinawa to be adjusted (by which they mean, increased)

Japan and the United States have entered the final stage of negotiations on the number of U.S. marines to be moved out of Okinawa Prefecture, increasing the total from the 8,000 agreed upon in 2006 to about 9,000 to 10,000, according to sources close to Japan-U.S. relations.

Despite this increase, the number of marines to be stationed in Okinawa Prefecture will remain unchanged at about 10,000. This is because the total number of marines stationed in the prefecture will be increased from 18,000 as per the 2006 agreement on the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan, to 19,000 to 20,000, the sources said Monday.

About 4,000 marines will be moved from the prefecture to Guam. The remaining 5,000 to 6,000 will be taken out of the prefecture to rotate among facilities in Australia, Hawaii, the U.S. mainland and other locations, according to the sources. Read More