US starts relocating Marines from Okinawa amid demands for demilitarization
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Okinawa - The US has begun relocating thousands of Marines from the island of Okinawa, Tokyo and Washington said Saturday, after decades of mounting grievances among locals over the American military presence.
In 2012, the US said it would redeploy 9,000 Marines from the island, where communities say the bases have caused serious disturbances, including pollution, noise, and helicopter crashes.
The relocation began with "a small detachment of approximately 100 logistics support Marines" transferred to the US-occupied island territory of Guam, Japan's defense ministry and the US Marine Corps said.
"Commencement of relocation to Guam signifies the first phase of relocating Marines to locations outside of Japan," said the joint statement.
There are currently around 19,000 Marines in Okinawa – located east of Taiwan, which has become a flashpoint for tensions between the US and China.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-starts-relocating-marines-from-okinawa-amid-demands-for-demilitarization/ar-AA1vRac8?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=0040ffe4df3b4e1f95f4ff987ea7b85f&ei=65
