Japan's Cabinet has approved plans for a realignment of US troops in the country aimed at giving the Japanese military greater responsibility for security in the Asia-Pacific region, Kyodo News agency reported Tuesday.

The realignment, the largest of the 50,000 US troops based in Japan in 50 years, was approved at a morning meeting by the Cabinet, Kyodo said.

Japan and the United States agreed on a plan in April that would streamline the US forces based in Japan and give the Japanese military more responsibility for security in the region.

About 8,000 US Marines will move from the southern island of Okinawa to the US Pacific island territory of Guam - with Japan shouldering about 60 percent of the nearly US$10.3 billion (euro8.07 billion) transfer cost.

The planned realignment has met with some opposition in Japan, with local governments and civic groups arguing that priority should be given to reducing US forces and returning bases to Japanese control.

The plan approved Tuesday, however, makes no reference to the controversial construction of the new airfield with two runways, as agreed to with Washington, or the deadline for drawing up concrete details, Kyodo reported.

Okinawa Gov. Keiichi Inamine has not yet signed off on the relocation plan.

Japan is Washington's top ally in East Asia and has been a staunch supporter of the US-led invasion of Iraq, dispatching troops there in 2004 to carry out humanitarian tasks. Japan's navy also provides fuel for coalition warships in the Indian Ocean.