Okinawa US Marine Corps Moves... Guam Relocation After 18 Years of Agreement

The relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps units, agreed upon by the United States and Japan in 2006, has begun. This is the first time that a U.S. Marine Corps unit based in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, is moving outside of Japan for redeployment.

According to the Yomiuri Shimbun and Asahi Shimbun on the 15th, Defense Minister Nakatani Gen met with local officials in Okinawa Prefecture the previous day and stated, "The operation to relocate about 100 U.S. Marines from Okinawa Prefecture to Guam has started." The unit being redeployed to Guam is the rear support personnel of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, and the relocation is expected to be completed by next year.

AP Yonhap News

The U.S. Marine Corps relocation is an issue agreed upon by the U.S. and Japanese governments in 2006 and finalized in 2012 to reduce the burden of U.S. military bases in Okinawa Prefecture. At that time, after additional consultations, the U.S. and Japan agreed in principle that out of the 19,000 U.S. Marines stationed in Okinawa, 4,000 would be relocated to Guam and 5,000 to Hawaii or the U.S. mainland.

In Okinawa Prefecture, voices welcoming the U.S. Marine Corps relocation have emerged 18 years after the agreement. Okinawa Prefecture accounts for only about 0.6% of Japan's total land area, but approximately 70% of the exclusive facilities for U.S. forces in Japan are concentrated there.

However, Asahi reported that there are also concerns that the U.S. Marine Corps relocation remains uncertain. The Japanese Ministry of Defense has expressed the position that "it is difficult to specify the completion time at this point." Asahi also pointed out that "Japan bears the costs necessary for the relocation, and so far Japan has spent about 373 billion yen (3.5 trillion won), which corresponds to 98% of the upper limit."

Even after the unit redeployment, the U.S. Marine Corps plans to station a Marine Littoral Regiment (MLR) in Okinawa Prefecture to maintain deterrence against North Korea and China. The MLR is a new concept unit included in the '2030 U.S. Marine Corps Development Strategy,' primarily tasked with being deployed to frontline island areas within enemy territory to suppress the advance of enemy ships and fighter jets and to control the sea.