CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — The United States and Japan continue to seek ways to reduce the U.S. military footprint on Okinawa, Japan Defense Agency Director Yoshinori Ohno said during a meeting Tuesday in Australia.
“We’re exploring ways to reduce the invisible burden borne by residents living in areas hosting the bases, such as their worries and concerns,” Ohno said following a meeting with his Australian counterpart, Robert Hill.
The two agreed to cooperate closely in the reconstruction of Iraq; the Japanese minister expressed his gratitude for sending additional Australian forces to protect Japanese troops in southern Iraq for humanitarian assistance, according to wire reports.
Hill has indicated Australia and the United States would increase joint training in his country, which could reduce the number of Marines on Okinawa, according to the reports.
But while the Japanese press was quick to pick up on Ohno’s comment about Okinawa, a U.S. military official said the two sides have come to no agreements about relocating Marines from Okinawa to mainland Japan or other countries. A bit more than half of the 58,000 U.S. troops in Japan are stationed on Okinawa, including some 17,000 Marines.
“While there has been much speculation about many of these ideas, and about many ideas that were never actually raised during the talks,” said U.S. Forces Japan spokesman Col. Victor Warzinski, “it would be inappropriate to discuss specific ideas and options publicly, as that would constrain the ability of both sides to reach the best decisions possible.
“It is a three part process,” Warzinski stated in an e-mail in response to a Stars and Stripes query. “The first stage involved a detailed review of joint strategic objectives for both nations.
“The second and third stages — which are ongoing — involve a thorough examination of the roles, missions and capabilities of the Japan Self Defense Force and U.S. Forces, Japan, and a top-to-bottom review of installations and facilities in Japan.”
Both governments were “working in close cooperation to develop a transformation and realignment package that would achieve a desired end state for our forces in the next decade,” he stated.
“Both governments seek to transform the alliance into a global partnership that increasingly shares responsibility and capabilities while reducing the impact or so called ‘burden’ of the American military presence in Japan,” Warzinski wrote.
“While sensitive to the concerns of the local communities, both governments also believe that the benefits of having the U.S. forces in Japan significantly outweigh the so-called burden of that presence.”
Chiyomi Sumida contributed to this report.
