U.S. to shift military exercise to Guam

TOKYO, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- A U.S. fighter jet training exercise scheduled to take place in Japan this month will be shifted to Guam, sources in Japan said.

The sources told The Yomiuri Shimbun that the location is being changed to reduce the noise caused by fighters in areas surrounding the U.S. Kadena Air Base in Okinawa.

The details of the move were decided Tuesday at a joint committee meeting between the United States and Japan on the realignment of U.S. Forces in Japan, The Yomiuri Shimbun reported.

Noise at Kadena Air Base has become a serious problem for Okinawa Prefecture in recent years due to the use of the base as a training ground for jets from other bases.

Shifting the location of training exercises is one of the ways to deal with the noise problem.

The exercise being shifted to Guam was scheduled to take place in Okinawa on Oct. 31. It will involve 20 U.S. F/A-18 fighter jets and 400 personnel.