The Diet has enacted a law to facilitate the largest-ever realignment of U.S. forces stationed in Japan. The law, supported by the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito and opposed by the Democratic Party of Japan and three other opposition parties, reflects Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's determination to implement as soon as possible the realignment as agreed by the Japanese and U.S. governments in May 2006. The basic plan for the realignment calls for the completion of all realignment projects by the end of 2014.

The law's "carrot and stick" approach to municipalities hosting or located near U.S. military facilities, however, carries the danger of undermining the principle of local autonomy and is likely to cause resentment among some municipalities. The law also leaves room for the government to use discretionary power to determine how the law should be applied to particular situations.

Under the new law, the government-affiliated Japan Bank for International Cooperation can provide investment and loans for the planned transfer of the headquarters of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force, together with about 8,000 U.S. Marines and 9,000 dependents, from Okinawa to Guam. It was earlier reported that Japan would shoulder 730 billion yen of the total cost of 1.2 trillion yen, which would include the cost of building houses for the marines and their families. During the Diet discussions, the government was unable to say how much Japan will have to shoulder or give details of the cost. This is regrettable since paying for construction of a U.S. military facility abroad is an unusual step and the project involves a huge sum of money.