Defense Agency chief Fukushiro Nukaga left for the United States on Friday in the hopes of meeting his U.S. counterpart about Japan's share of the cost to relocate 8,000 U.S. Marines to Guam from Okinawa.
A meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is expected to be held at the Pentagon early Monday, but Tokyo is asking Washington to move up the talks.
"I think it is important to go there to directly give Japan's position and discuss the issue frankly and sincerely, " the defense chief said Friday morning.