Japan and the United States have agreed to proceed with plans to transfer thousands of US troops out of the southern Japanese island of Okinawa, leaving behind the stalled discussion of the closure of a major US Marine base there.
The transfer, a key to US troop restructuring in the Pacific, has been in limbo for years because it was linked to the closure and replacement of the strategically important base, which has been fiercely opposed by Okinawa residents.
The announcement follows high-level talks to rework a 2006 agreement for 8000 Marines on Okinawa to move to the US territory of Guam by 2014 if a replacement for the base - Marine Corps Air Station Futenma - could be built.
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. More than half of the 50,000 US troops in Japan, including 18,000 Marines, are stationed on Okinawa, taking up around 10 per cent of the island with nearly 40 bases and facilities.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, the two governments said the transfer of thousands of US Marines to Guam would not require the prior closure of Futenma, as in the original pact. Details of the realignment will be discussed further, but about 10,000 troops will remain on Okinawa, as in the original agreement.
Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba told a news conference that he hoped the progress on the realignment plan would help the two countries step up deterrence in the Asia-Pacific region. He also said Tokyo and Washington would continue efforts to eventually close Futenma.
Wednesday's statement was vague on specifics of what lies ahead. Officials said details would be determined through further discussions over the next few months.
But senior Japanese officials have said 4700 Marines will be transferred to Guam. The remaining 3300 would reportedly rotate among Australia, Hawaii and the Philippines.
Progress on the issue is important to the United States, which is looking to revise its military and diplomatic posture in Asia - in what is being called the Pacific Pivot - to reflect the rising power of China and increasing tensions over territorial disputes throughout the region.
Washington is also under pressure to make the most of its resources as budget cuts loom in Congress with the winding down of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Tokyo, meanwhile, is hoping the reduction of troops on Okinawa will ease local opposition and demonstrate its desire to stand by promises to reduce the island's share of the troop-hosting burden. Officials say they remain committed to closing Futenma, which the US and Japan agreed to do after the 1995 rape of a schoolgirl by three American servicemen led to mass protests.
