Less is More

The people of Iwakuni (famous for the arching bridge) have voted overwhelmingly to stop an expansion of the US Marine base stationed there.

Iwakuni which on the other side of Hiroshima, would take on a Naval airwing, totaling 57 planes and 1,600 personnel as the US attempts to decrease it's forces in Japan.

Now, either I'm stupid or this doesn't seem like decreasing armed forces.

The US plans to move 8,000 of it's 18,000 troops stationed in Okinawa (where there is a strong opposition to the military presence) to Guam. However, is this clever manuevering, by restationing some of your troops to another base.

Iwakuni was taken over by the Americans after the war, and used during the Korean War.

Links below

HTTP://NEWS.BBC.CO.UK/1/HI/WORLD/ASIA-PACIFIC/4798086.STM
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/03/12/japan-base060312.html?ref=rss

Iwakuni Military base -
http://www.iwakuni.usmc.mil