U.S. Marines stationed in Okinawa will hold some drills in Guam and other locations outside the prefecture to reduce the burden the drills place on Okinawans, the commandant of the corps told Okinawa Gov. Keiichi Inamine.
"It is a part of our continued effort to reduce imposition and intrusion on the quality of life by conducting training in as many different locations as we can," Gen. James Jones told the governor Monday at the prefectural government office in Naha.
The top U.S. Marine said other U.S. bases in Japan as well as those in South Korea are possible sites for holding the training exercises, but mentioned Guam as a "place where we can train realistically."
Jones made the remarks in response to a question posed by Inamine about a comment the commandant made in the media suggesting the marines in Okinawa may hold drills at a U.S. Air Force base on Guam.