U.S.-Japan deal withdraws 9,000 Marines from Okinawa

The United States and Japan have agreed that about half the U.S. Marines on the Japanese island of Okinawa will soon leave, a transition that could ease a long-simmering resentment of the Americans' presence that has at times boiled over.

The news from a joint U.S.-Japanese committee comes as Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Nodo prepares to meet Monday with President Barack Obama in Washington.

"I am very pleased that, after many years, we have reached this important agreement and plan of action," Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said, noting the lengthy seesaw talks aimed at cutting the American presence on the island south of Tokyo.

About 9,000 Marines and their family members will leave Okinawa, the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee said Thursday. About 5,000 will go to Guam as part of a much larger U.S. military build up in Asia, a realignment that comes amid China's rapid growth as a major economic and military power.

The U.S. military presence on Okinawa has caused considerable controversy. Some have complained about noise from the base, in an urban area. Many others were incensed by the misconduct of U.S. troops stationed there, including the 1995 rape of 12-year-old Japanese girl by three U.S. military personnel.

Opposition to the presence of U.S. troops in Okinawa runs so deep that it contributed to the resignation of former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama in 2010. He had promised to move the base but later announced that the base would stay, a decision he called "heartbreaking."

His critics said then that he gave in to U.S. pressure, and his government coalition broke up.

"Recognizing the strong desires of Okinawa residents, these relocations are to be completed as soon as possible while ensuring operational capability throughout the process," the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee

Japan's foreign minister, Koichiro Genba, called the agreement satisfactory.

"It's forward-looking and meaningful, one that can act upon the changing security environment as well as reducing the burden on Okinawa," Genba said Friday morning.