U.S., Japan announce agreement to send Okinawa Marines to Guam

Just need to find out from where the Marines will leave. Knowing the Americans they will want a replacement facility for Camp Kinser before closing it. So what is the plan and when will it be done?

Just need to find out from where the Marines will leave. Knowing the Americans they will want a replacement facility for Camp Kinser before closing it. So what is the plan and when will it be done?

Yuri time to get off the scales off your eyes, when and if those Marines leave you can forget about "needing" a replacement facility because it wont be necessary.

The article TELLS you where they'll be leaving from:

“We decided to choose to reduce Okinawa’s burden as much as possible rather than being stuck in a stalemate by sticking to an earlier package,” Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba told a news conference.

8,000 Marines will be leaving Okinawa. That is, they WOULD be leaving right up until the Okinawan's issue some other ridiculous requirement that delays the Marines' departure even longer.

8,000 Marines will be leaving Okinawa. That is, they WOULD be leaving right up until the Okinawan's issue some other ridiculous requirement that delays the Marines' departure even longer.

Actually it would the US's issue that would cause the delay, just like Futenma. But this one sounds, on the surface anyway, like it's close to a done deal.

Separating the two issues was one of the smartest moves both sides could make considering the circumstances.

On the 1st place, the US marines should not even be there, I hope Ron Paul gets elected so he can bring all oir troops home, follow the constitution people!

Yabaru, I do agree with you about separating the 2 issues. The thing about closing bases is each does something to contribute to the Marine mission. I would expect the Marines would have to build new warehouses to replace those on Camp Kinser. A new hospital is being built on Camp Foster to replace the one on Camp Lester. About Naha port, wonders why the US military could not use a civilian port? Anyhow it is not about the number of Marines but the ability to fulfill their mission.

I am surprised but happy the plan has been changed. Expect the changes will take time and hopefully the people of Okinawa do not hold up construction that is a result of the troop movement and camp closures. My view about MCAS Futenma, let it stay open. Try and reduce noise and risks but the Marines say they need it. They could reduce the amount of land used by the base and again fly only helicopters. That is my 2 yen

Japanese politics have never listened Okinawan people's opinions about the relocation of US military personnel or bases. Rather Japanese politics utilizes Okinawa land because they do not care Okinawan people as much as Japanese people in mainland Japan because Okinawa used to be not a part of Japan long time ago. Actually Okinawa is not dumping place like garbage. Also, locating US military base in somewhere in Japan make them comfortable as they are protected from surrounding countries, especially North Korea. This means that Japanese politics totally depends on US politics instead of thinking protecting the nation by themselves.

YuriOtani, What makes you think they'll close Camp Kinser? Are the 4700 Marines coming from that Camp? If they marines come from all the bases.. a little from each, I don't see how it will cause a base to close. I wonder when this is going to happen.. the sooner the better.

4,700 marines out of Japan is a good start. Lets us hope this keeps up until all unwanted US military bases are gone. If the majority of people in any city or town wants them, fine if the majority of people in Japan also want them.

Sadly the Japanese people have voted on this the same number of times I have: zero.

Juan.. I'm with you on Ron Paul.. he's the only one who tells the truth... especially about that 1 billion dollar embassy we are building in Iraq. It's nuts.

realdoll, that would make sense. The Americans would not have to close any of the bases. However the 2006 plan called for all of the bases south of Foster to be closed. Camp Kuwae: Total return, Camp Zukeran: Partial return and consolidation of remaining facilities and infrastructure to the extent possible, Makiminato Service Area: Total return (Camp Kinser), Naha Port: Total return (relocated to the new facilities, including additional staging area, to be constructed at Urasoe), Army POL Depot Kuwae Tank Farm No. 1: Total return. MCAS Futenma being taken off of the list. All functions and capabilities that are resident in facilities designated for return, and that are required by forces remaining in Okinawa, will be relocated within Okinawa. These relocations will occur before the return of designated facilities.

I copied and pasted the previous, really I do not make this stuff up!

About time. Marines in Okinawa are like a disease. They are disrespectful to everyone, including service memebrs from army and air force and the the the way they treat locals? Its sad

Landlords around Okinawa City will be starting to get nervous... less people to be paying Y400,000 a month for some apartments.

CajunH2O, I am going to come to the defense of the US Marines. The vast majority of them are decent enough people. True a lot of them are single or unaccompanied by their spouses. This gives them wild image but calling them a "disease" is a disservice to them. As I said the question is which Marines they will move and from which camps? FYI, I am not now and have never been married to a US Marine.

This issue must be more complicated than I can imagine. My initial response is to move them all out, but that probably would not be so good for strategic purposes in the Pacific. Anyway, I would still like to see US military bases overseas be decreased... We shall see.

I also wonder how much a total removal, or even a smaller drawback would affect Okinawa's economy?

CajunH2O, I am going to come to the defense of the US Marines. The vast majority of them are decent enough people. True a lot of them are single or unaccompanied by their spouses. This gives them wild image but calling them a "disease" is a disservice to them. As I said the question is which Marines they will move and from which camps? FYI, I am not now and have never been married to a US Marine.

Hopefully, as the military becomes more selective (due to the reduced troop requirements for Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the upcoming troop level cuts) and the Marine presence is reduced, behavior issues of US military personnel in Okinawa will improve.

This article from NHK http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120208_36.html says that a deal has been done. The people of Okinawa not consulted again,what a lack of respect the japanese government has for its own people.

You gotta love a guy like Juan's (comment)... who truly makes me spit coffee and laugh.

I feel sorry for Guam.

This is gonna be a real boon to Guam's prostitution industry!

Shocking. How will this affect all the locals that work on the bases or depend on their business from off base?

Shocking. How will this affect all the locals that work on the bases or depend on their business from off base?

The reality is going to hit home sooner than later, be careful what you wish for. The people affected are going to have to adapt and there are going to be more unemployed folks out looking for work putting a further burden on the local economy.

Nakaima's response to this announcement is pure Okinawa politics, he didn't expect this to happen as quickly as it has, and I find it to be poetic justice.

Sometimes it's smart to live to fight another day.

After more than 200 years of occupancy, the independent kingdom of Ryukyo (called Okinawa today) has the right to take back its own country.

Juan...live in reality please!

"That agreement has been effectively scuttled by opposition on Okinawa, where many residents believe the base should simply be closed and moved overseas or elsewhere in Japan."

What a bunch of selfish people -- they don't even care if it's somewhere else in their nation, just want it out of their neighbourhood. Anyway, you can bet the US is going to get some major deal going their way in exchange for this, and even then Futenma won't close.

10 percent of the population leaving an island. Hahaha. Goodbye economy.

I also wonder how much a total removal, or even a smaller drawback would affect Okinawa's economy?

it will effect the economy quite a lot, but not so much because of the direct impact. The long term task will be to shift Okinawas economy away from the 'comfort budget' intoxication, a sleazy system established by Tokyo bureaucrats and politicians to keep Okinawans under control and the US military happy.

Being hooked up on big budgets from Tokyo which require minimal intelligence on the side of the Okinawan beneficiaries, has reshaped a big part of the local economy to become passive and dull.

Many Okinawan friends of mine are highly critical of this system, which for example will provide 90% of funding for public works projects in municipalities that host US military facilities. One friend says that this system tends to reduce the creative part of the brain of decision makers in those municipalities as with 10% own effort they will get 100%. While 100% usually means useless, bad-planned, environmentally harmful public works.

I suppose it will take Okinawa a huge effort and more then just some years to detoxicate the Okinawan economy, but I believe it is the right and only way for Okinawa.

Okinawa has marvelous resources, its nature and the creativity and unique culture of its people, but it needs to get back to its cultural roots, which in my eyes means especially two things:

to live in tune with it's marvelous, but very fragile and in many ways very tough natural environment

and to focus on its independent cultural identity and its creative power, either in order to survive in the centralized and bureaucratic Japan or, even better, to become more independent and profit from its location in-between big asian nations.

I'm confident that Okinawa can thrive even without any US bases and an all-dominating tourism sector, but that won't be possible overnight and it will need to provide its young generation with a different more creative and more internationally oriented education.

It must bother some Americans to know the Okinawans won't be begging them to stay, except for a few bar owners and a few dozen apartment owners gouging the govt for the maximum rent they can get from servicemen based on their rank. The faster they leave the better..

bam_boo.. you made many good points.

Say goodbye to the economy in Okinawa. US military funding and personnel bring in so much money.

Good for Guam and the troops going there. It will be nice for them to be in a place where they are wanted.

I think better include in school curriculum of okinawa, the mandarin chinese language.

10 percent of the population leaving an island. Hahaha. Goodbye economy.

1 million people or so live on the island, 8,000 are leaving. 10% of the population, hmmmm?!?!

21% of landmass in Okinawa is occupied by US military, not 10% as the article states.

US military funding and personnel bring in so much money.

to the pimps and prostitutes only.

Good job,Okinawans. You guys and the baboons monkeys of DPJ party are ruining this country,congratulations!

A good first step for the US to get out of these bases around the world. Bring everyone home and focus on the internal problems, first and foremost. There is a lot of anti-US sentiment out there in the world and maybe it's time for the US to say "screw the lot of ya". It's obvious their foreign policy hasn't been working for the past 10 years so reel in the troops and focus on making America great.

It's obvious their foreign policy hasn't been working for the past 10 years so reel in the troops and focus on making America great.

jforce -- complete nonsense. First off, U.S. foreign policy is working just fine -- to advance its interests. The fact that some folks might not like that does not mean it has not been successful. And, respectfully, America is already great, has been for over 200 years, and posting all its military within its borders will not make it greater. In fact it would significantly reduce its ability to keep the peace worldwide.

jforce....

.Bring everyone home and focus on the internal problems, first and foremost.

Are you from Guam or Australia or the PI perhaps?

Great, can't wait! Once they're all gone Okinawa will become a much safer and nicer place to visit.

What a bunch of selfish people -- they don't even care if it's somewhere else in their nation, just want it out of their neighbourhood.

We know they want it out their neighborhood. But that is not any indication whatsoever of how they feel about it elsewhere. Two other options were briefly presented: moving the base to some other country or somewhere else in Japan. Nothing was said or implied that it be done against the will of the people living there. Seems to me they feel its not their business at all if another town wants the base. And that is quite the opposite of being selfish.

Okinawaians will lose a lot of u.s. government jobs. Maybe Yuriotani likes that more

jforce being anti-base is not being anti-American. It is not the same thing at all. So now we wait for the plan. It looks to me that the 2006 plan will be used minus MCAS Futenma. There are so many different issues with the bases. The principle one is of sovereignty. The bases are a country to themselves, go onto any American base and it is like entering the USA. Second, there are so many of them on Okinawa. Third they block traffic flows and this includes emergency vehicles. How many people have died due to the longer trip required to go around the American base? Forth the base people make lousy customers, my friend ran a AU store. He went out of business since it was so hard for him to collect from Americans. They had to be tracked down and they hid on base. It was custom for most of them not to pay the final bill when PCSing. Fifth the rate of exchange is so bad things off base are too expensive, so most are not regular customers. Fifth there is the noise from the aircraft and the presence of the large military vehicles. There are more...

whiskeysour, actually I think there will be more MLC jobs onbase to replace departed Marines.

Whiskey....Okinawan's/Japanese don't hold US Government jobs, those are for US civil servants. Japanese employees are paid by the Japanese government, not US.

Independent Okinawa? That is as stupid as the Hawaiians who want an independent Hawaii. Or when the American Indians took over Alcatraz Island near San Francisco. Okinawa will always be a part of Japan. I was formally in the military and was stationed there. The military folks don't really affect the local economy except for bars and prostitution. That pretty much is it. Japan has a National Defense force that responds quicker than any U.S. military response from N.Korea and China. Guam is not that much farther away and is already an ecological disaster. It is a US territory so they don't have to pay for the use of the island. The US pays Japan for occupying Okinawa. So it is in the best interest of BOTH countries to move the base to Guam. Besides, it isn't THAT far from Japan.