14 May 2010

Guam's governor in Japan in time for announcement on US troop moves

7:52 am on 14 May 2010

Guam's governor is arriving in Japan today to join the governor of CNMI for continued talks with Japanese lawmakers over the possible relocation of thousands of US troops from Japan to the Western Pacific.

A meeting with Japan's prime minister Yukio Hatoyama has yet to be confirmed.

The governor's deputy chief of staff Shawn Gumataotao says it's had word the Japanese government is due to present its plan in Washington in the next day or so.

"Governor Camacho is committed to also wanting to share his perspective of the Guam buildup, the benefits of it all, especially in light of the decisions that are expected to be made in the next 24 to 40 hours."

Japan has been reviewing a 2006 pact under which the United States would shift 8,000 troops from Japan's crowded Okinawa island to Guam.

It's estimated Guam's population of less than 200-thousand would expand by up to twenty thousand as part of the troop build-up.