TOKYO — Some 8,000 U.S. Marines will leave Okinawa for Guam under a proposal approved by Tokyo that is the largest realignment of U.S. troops based in Japan in 50 years, a senior Japanese official said Tuesday.

The sweeping change approved by the Cabinet will give Japan greater responsibility for security in Asia, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said.

Japan and the United States agreed on the plan in April, saying it would streamline American forces in Japan and alleviate some of the complaints of people in Okinawa, a cramped southern island that hosts nearly half the 50,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan.

About 8,000 U.S. Marines will relocate from Okinawa to the U.S. Pacific island territory of Guam — with Japan shouldering about 60 percent of the estimated $10.3 billion cost of the move.

About 15,500 U.S. troops will stay in Okinawa. Local governments and civic groups have objected to that, saying U.S. forces should be further reduced and bases returned to Japanese control.

People living near bases in Okinawa have long complained about crime, accidents and noise.

By The Associated Press