Marines moving to Guam

[mcvet57103]

Clinton, Nakasone Sign U.S.-Japan Accord on Relocating Marines
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By Indira A.R. Lakshmanan and Takashi Hirokawa


Feb. 17 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone signed an agreement in Tokyo finalizing the transfer of 8,000 U.S. Marines from the southern island of Okinawa to Guam by 2014.
Under the agreement, Japan will provide $6.09 billion, including $2.8 billion in “cash contributions,” of the estimated $10.3 billion cost for the move and the building of housing and other infrastructure. The Pacific island of Guam is a U.S. territory.
The relocation is contingent on Japan making “tangible progress” on moving the Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station on Okinawa. Residents of a proposed new site on another part of the island have opposed the choice and no alternative has been agreed upon.
Japan is host to 50,000 U.S. forces under a half-century old security agreement. About 22,000 of the troops are stationed in Okinawa, spurring tensions with local communities. A U.S. Marine in May was convicted of sexually abusing a 14-year-old Okinawan girl. He was acquitted of rape in a case that triggered anti-American demonstrations locally as well as in Tokyo.
Clinton is in Japan as part of a weeklong visit to Asia, her first overseas trip as the top U.S. diplomat. She arrived yesterday in Tokyo and called for more cooperation from the region in alleviating the worldwide recession.
To contact the reporters on this story: Indira Lakshmanan in Tokyo at ilakshmanan@bloomberg.net; Takashi Hirokawa in Tokyo at thirokawa@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: February 16, 2009 22:38 EST

[NoRemorse]

The looks on their faces says it all...

[mcvet57103]

What pizzes me off is they have to bring up an incident from 9 months ago. How many Marines have been there and gone, spending litterally millions in stores, bars, and restaraunts during that time period, and never broke a law? Hope they choke on the loss of the revenue the Marines will not be spending.

[NoRemorse]

Hopefully we'll have some expensive contractors come in and run up the bill for our old Japanese buddies. This is our world now... the losers call the shots.

[mcvet57103]

Lets see 8000 X $1200/month ( << conservative estimate)X 12 months = $11,520,000 per year in lost revenue. Guam's Government has gotta be partying in the streets.

[NoRemorse]

That's a very conservative element. Let's help them out a bit. We could plan a Leatherneck vacation package to Guam.

[JohnEaceHunt]

Well in the good ole years,'66, to mid '70's-It was the last place on Earth we Marines wanted to go when in West-Pac. NOW they tell us that its a ritual of growing up that a father there offeres up his daughter's virginity. 40 years later they decide to tell us. What the H*!l. The japanese will cry and just have to do without now that all that good sweet smelling money. It will go to Guam instead of them. boo-hoo, & yaky-yaky. oh, and sanayori ori.(translated may mean tough duky). You know thats a lot of bars that will go out of bussiness.

[mpetrone]

I was stationed on Guam back in 1990-1991 when we still had a Marine Barracks there. Nice place, awesome weather, great scuba diving, locals were mostly good people. Not sure where they will put that many Marines though.

[ecfree]

I was stationed on Guam back in 1990-1991 when we still had a Marine Barracks there. Nice place, awesome weather, great scuba diving, locals were mostly good people. Not sure where they will put that many Marines though.

Just up the beach,past the Goony Birds.....

[mcvet57103]

That's a very conservative element. Let's help them out a bit. We could plan a Leatherneck vacation package to Guam.

Got to thinkin about it. Yeah I forgot about all the locals and their jobs, and rent to Japan/Okinawa for the land, electrical, gas, water and sewer, phone, and misc. other charges the U.S. Gov ia paying that will also go away. The estimate I gave was just in Military pay spending. I don't think they have realized how many American dollars are spent daily on the rock.

[lthunder]

What pizzes me off is they have to bring up an incident from 9 months ago. How many Marines have been there and gone, spending litterally millions in stores, bars, and restaraunts during that time period, and never broke a law? Hope they choke on the loss of the revenue the Marines will not be spending.

This is a budget spending crisis, so we say **** you Japan.