The Japanese and U.S. governments must accelerate efforts to ensure that the burden on Okinawa Prefecture, where many U.S. military bases are concentrated, is reduced.

The transfer of U.S. Marines stationed in Okinawa to locations overseas has begun. Around 9,000 of the approximately 19,000 Marines stationed in Okinawa will be moved out of the prefecture, and it was announced that the relocation of 100 advance troops to Guam had commenced.

The Japanese and U.S. governments had reached an agreement on the transfers in 2006 as part of the global realignment of U.S. troops. Eighteen years later, the relocations have finally begun, but the concrete schedule, including when the project will be completed, has not been announced.

Over 4,000 Marines are to be relocated to Guam, and the remaining troops will be moved to Hawaii and the U.S. mainland. Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani stated that the relocations would be carried out in steps in the future, but U.S. plans for the deployment of the Marines have not been finalized.

It is only natural that in talks with Nakatani, Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki called on the central government to present a clear plan for the transfers, and for the process to be completed as soon as possible.

Under the plans, Japan is supposed to cover over 30% of the cost of relocating the U.S. troops. It has already paid 373 billion yen (about $2.42 billion) -- close to the full amount -- for the preparation of military barracks and training grounds in Guam.

The Japanese government should strengthen its efforts to have the U.S. side quickly reveal concrete details of the relocations.

Even after the transfers are completed, Okinawa's burden will not disappear. Around 10,000 Marines will remain in the southernmost Japanese prefecture, and U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force troops will also remain stationed there. In 2006, it was agreed that land for U.S. military facilities south of Kadena Air Base would be returned to Japan, but in many cases this has not yet been achieved.

Amid such circumstances, sexual assaults and other crimes by U.S. service members continue to occur. There have been instances where investigative authorities and the central government did not inform the Okinawa Prefectural Government about the incidents, and prefectural residents' distrust is growing.

The Japanese government, which is rushing to relocate U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to the Henoko area of the city of Nago in Okinawa Prefecture, has forcibly gone ahead with land reclamation work in Oura Bay on the eastern side of Henoko, an area with a lot of soft ground. The rift between the central government and the Okinawa Prefectural Government, the latter of which has been calling for the relocation of U.S. troops outside the prefecture and an immediate halt to construction in the bay, is only deepening.

The security environment in East Asia is becoming increasingly severe. It is necessary to maintain deterrence, but there is also a need to alleviate the burden that has been thrust upon Okinawa. What is required of the Japanese and U.S. governments is a stance of listening with sincerity to the voices of local residents.