U.S. President Barack Obama signed a defense bill for fiscal 2012 on Saturday that includes cutting the entire $150 million funding for transferring Marines to Guam from Japan's Okinawa.
The axing of the funding casts doubt over the prospects for a controversial bilateral commitment to relocate a major U.S. Marine base in Okinawa, of which the transfer of Marines is a key component.
Obama signed the bill for the National Defense Authorization Act in Honolulu, where he is staying for his Christmas and New Year holiday. (Japan Times)
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