Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki on Sunday called on the government to provide 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 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 Okinawa to areas outside Japan, including Guam.
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