Japan and the United States on Monday approved details of a sweeping plan to realign U.S. forces in Japan by 2014 while giving Japan's military greater responsibility for security in the Asia-Pacific. "We have no better friend than Japan," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters after a meeting between the two countries' top defense and foreign ministers. "We share, most of all, values. But increasingly we share global responsibilities as well." In a joint report, the countries made special mention of the burden faced by Japanese communities hosting U.S. bases. Locals, especially on the crowded island of Okinawa, often complain of the crime, accidents, land use and noise associated with the bases. At the same time, the ministers underlined the importance they placed on the U.S.-Japan relationship, calling it "the indispensable foundation of Japan's security and of peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and the linchpin of American security policy in the region." The announcement is part of the biggest restructuring and streamlining of the U.S. military in Japan in decades. A price tag for the plan's implementation was not released, but Japanese officials said their government would be responsible for most of the costs.
