Washington, Tokyo Pledge to Cooperate to Return Land to Japan - Pentagon

Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have pledged to return a large US training area in Okinawa to Tokyo, Pentagon spokesperson Peter Cook said in a release on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The partial land return is expected to be the largest since 1972.

"Secretary Carter and Prime Minister Abe affirmed the importance of making progress on realignment efforts in Japan and pledged to work closely together to enable the return of close to 10,000 acres of the Northern Training Area on Dec. 22," Cook stated.

The Northern Training area, also known as Camp Gonsalves, in Northern Okinawa was established in 1958 and serves as a US Marines warfare training area.

During the meeting in Tokyo, Carter and Abe also discussed regional security, including the situation in North Korean and the East and South China Seas, according to the release.