The Obama administration will soon announce the details of a new agreement with Japan for U.S. troops and military bases on the island of Okinawa following a White House meeting with the Japanese prime minister next week.

 

In 2006, the U.S. and Japan agreed to transfer 8,000 U.S. Marines from Okinawa to the island of Guam and to relocate the Futenma Air Station to another part of Okinawa. The plan stalled for years due to resistance from Okinawans who would not agree to the new location of the airbase.

Approximately 40,000 U.S. troops occupy the various military bases in Japan, about three-quarters of which are located on the islands of Okinawa. The occupation has been a source of considerable tension over the decades since WWII, and the populace has protested the troop presence consistently.