TOKYO – The government decided on Aug. 1 to provide $113.16 million (approximately 13.579 billion yen) for the relocation of U.S. Marines in Okinawa to Guam. Notes on this were exchanged between Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy. This budget allocation is based on the revised plan on the Marines’ relocation to Guam.

This amount will be used for building one housing unit for noncommissioned officers in the Finegayan area in Guam. It was also confirmed that the funds provided by the Japanese government to the U.S. government originally for the design of the “combat service support battalion command headquarters” will now be used for the design of the “joint command headquarters.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that this will “enhance operational improvement through unified command and result in cost reduction in the overall project.”