TOKYO — U.S. and Japanese officials said today they plan to speed up negotiations over the relocation of a key Marine base ahead of President Barack Obama's visit here next month.

The fate of the Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa has dragged on for years.

Residents at both its current location and a planned new spot nearby say U.S. military bases are loud and lead to increased crime. Some members of Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's government say they want the base moved out of Japan altogether.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, the State Department's top Asia policy official, said he would like to see a breakthrough before Obama visits Japan.

Japan has long been a crucial military ally for Washington and hosts about 50,000 U.S. troops, with two-thirds of them on Okinawa.

Obama is to visit Japan on Nov. 12 and 13, part of his first Asian trip as president that will also include stops in Singapore, China and South Korea.