Japan's Iwakuni city votes on U.S. Marine base plan
Opposition from Iwakuni and other communities worried about noise, accidents and crime associated with U.S. bases has hampered efforts to finalize by the end of March a plan to reorganize the nearly 50,000 U.S. military personnel in Japan.
The realignment plan is part of a broader effort to transform the U.S. military globally into a more flexible force.
In Japan, though, the stress has been on reducing tensions with communities where bases are located, especially on the southern island of Okinawa, reluctant host to the bulk of the U.S. military presence.
At least 50 percent of the nearly 85,000 eligible voters in Iwakuni, 600 miles (1,000 km) west of Tokyo, must turn out for the referendum to be valid.
At 0500 GMT, turnout was 44.41 percent. Polls close at 1100 GMT, and the final result will be announced several hours later.
While the result will not be binding, a "No" vote would be a headache for Washington and Tokyo. The two sides are also trying to finalize other parts of the plan, including how much Tokyo should pay to move some 7,000 Marines from Okinawa to Guam.
The result of the Iwakuni referendum is "one important voice of the people, so you can't treat it lightly", Senior Vice Foreign Minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki told Reuters last week. "But there will be a time when the central government has to make a final decision, while taking that into account."
Part of the plan calls for the transfer of 57 carrier-based planes and about 1,600 military personnel from Atsugi naval base near Tokyo -- where locals have long complained of flight noise -- to Iwakuni, already home to more than 3,000 Marines and 57 U.S. aircraft.
The transfer would take place in 2009 after completion of an offshore runway built on reclaimed land. In return, 17 Japanese planes and 700 Japanese military personnel would move to Atsugi.