A ceremony has been held in the US territory of Guam to mark the start of operations at a new US base, to which thousands of US Marines are to be transferred from Japan's southern prefecture of Okinawa.

Japanese government officials and the US Marine Corps officers attended the ceremony for the Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz on Thursday, along with local community members.

The commandant of the Marine Corps, General David Berger, stressed the importance of the camp.

Berger pledged that the Marines, in partnership with the community and fellow Pacific nations, will work to ensure and secure a free and open Indo-Pacific. He said activating Camp Blaz is a symbol of increasing opportunity, and a sign of commitment and friendship.

The Japanese and US governments have agreed to relocate part of the Marines stationed in Okinawa to Guam, Hawaii and elsewhere to lessen the burden on the island prefecture from hosting US military facilities.

About 4,000 Marines are expected to move from Okinawa to Camp Blaz, starting in 2024.

Japan has provided funds to help construct the camp's facilities. The Defense Ministry says the total allocation will come to about 370 billion yen, or 2.86 billion dollars, by the end of the current fiscal year through March.