US reluctant to redeploy Okinawa Marines
Iran Press TV
Thu Aug 22, 2013 1:32PM GMT
US Congress is still concerned about the costs of moving American Marines off the Japanese island of Okinawa, said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz on Wednesday.
McCain’s comment came after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told him during a meeting that Tokyo wants Washington to free up federal spending for redeployment of Okinawa Marines, Stars and Stripes reported.
Abe said in a statement that moving the Marines to Guam, Hawaii, Australia and the US mainland will return large parcels of land to the Okinawans.
The Senate has blocked all spending on the $12.1 billion US military plan that is aimed at reducing troop presence on the island. A number of Senators argue that redeployment of Marines to Guam and elsewhere in the Pacific could be too costly.
Nearly 8,000 US Marines are stationed on Okinawa.
According to a report by the NHK news service, McCain’s stance is backed by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
In 2011, the Government Accountability Office calculated the costs of moving Marines from Okinawa could nearly double to almost $24 billion.
McCain also said he is hopeful that Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, one of the most controversial bases on Okinawa, will soon be closed and relocated farther north on the island. But Japanese officials want the Marine air operations moved off the island altogether.
Earlier this month, residents of Okinawa took to the streets in protest at the presence of American forces on the island, after a US military helicopter crashed during exercises and training.
The protesters called for the suspension of exercises by US forces and the removal of the military bases.
ARA/ARA
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