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Japan asks U.S. to reduce Okinawa 'burden'

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- Japan has asked the United States to reduce troop levels in Okinawa, Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutake Machimura said Thursday.

"We want to lessen the excess burden on especially Okinawa," he said after a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. "That point is very important for us, so that we will continue and we will reach some conclusion in order to have a rational solution between two countries."

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Powell said the Japanese request would be taken into consideration while making a decision on U.S. troops.

"We would certainly take into account anything that Prime Minister Koizumi or my colleague or the minister of defense said with respect to their desires and preferences, but we have a process in which to deal with all of these issues," he said. "And I know that (Defense) Secretary (Donald) Rumsfeld will take these comments aboard, and he will present our point of view."

There are 47,000 U.S. military personnel in Okinawa and their presence there is controversial.

Earlier Thursday, Japan's Kyodo news agency quoted Koizumi as saying in Vietnam that U.S. troops could be moved from Okinawa to elsewhere in Japan.

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