Residents of the Japanese city of Iwakuni voted yesterday in a referendum on the future of a US Marine base, the outcome of which could affect broader talks on the relocation of US forces throughout Japan.
Opposition from Iwakuni and other communities worried about noise, accidents and crime associated with US bases has hampered efforts to finalize by the end of this month a plan to reorganize the nearly 50,000 US military personnel in Japan.
The realignment plan is part of a broader effort to transform the US military globally into a more flexible force.
In Japan, though, the stress has been on reducing tensions with communities where bases are located, especially on the southern island of Okinawa, reluctant host to the bulk of the US military presence.
With four hours left until the polls closed last night, turnout in Iwakuni, 720km west of Tokyo, was already 50.53 percent, an Iwakuni official said. At least 50 percent was needed for the referendum to be valid.
The final result was to be announced late in the evening, but locals said a high turnout would increase chances of the plan being rejected since many of those in favor would stay home.
While the result is not binding, a "no" vote would be a headache for Washington and Tokyo.
The two sides are also trying to finalize other parts of the plan, including how much Tokyo should pay to move some 7,000 Marines from Okinawa to Guam.
The result of the Iwakuni referendum is "one important voice of the people, so you can't treat it lightly," Senior Vice Foreign Minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki said last week. "But there will be a time when the central government has to make a final decision, while taking that into account."
Part of the plan calls for the transfer of 57 carrier-based planes and about 1,600 military personnel from Atsugi naval base near Tokyo -- where locals have long complained of noise -- to Iwakuni, already home to more than 3,000 Marines and 57 US aircraft.
Located 560km from the tense border between North and South Korea, US Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni would play a key role in any conflict involving the peninsula.
On Saturday, nearly 2,000 residents of Zama City in central Japan rallied to oppose plans to boost troop numbers and upgrade facilities at a US military base there.
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