Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan made the apology for "the burden" of U.S. bases during his first visit to the island that saw some of the fiercest fighting between the United States and Japan in World War II.

The visit was to mark the 65 years since the end of the 3-month battle in 1945 for possession of the string of islands south of Japan.

Around 145,000 Japanese soldiers died as well as 95,000 civilians in what was the largest amphibious assault in the war that destroyed 90 percent of all the island's buildings.

Ever since the battle ended, the United States, now Japan's staunchest ally and by treaty a protector of its national security, has had a military presence on Okinawa, but with growing tensions.

"I offer an apology as a representative of all Japanese people,'' Kan said. "On behalf of all of our people, I apologize for the burden. I promise to seriously try all the more to reduce Okinawa's burden related to the U.S. bases and eliminate the associated dangers."

But Kan also expressed his ''appreciation,'' saying that Okinawa by accepting the U.S. military presence had helped secure peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

''I would like the burden to be visibly reduced,'' Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima, said in his speech in the ceremony. He also said he wanted the hosting the U.S. bases in Japan to be shared among all Japanese people, a veiled message that moving the bases to the mainland would be acceptable.

Okinawa hosts around 70 percent of all U.S. bases in Japan and also half of the 47,000 military personnel.

The topic of U.S. bases is sensitive for any Japanese government and was a factor in the resignation of Kan's predecessor, Yukio Hatoyama, this month.

Hatoyama quit after only 8 months in office over election funding scandals. There were also major internal party divisions resulting from accusations that he broke an election pledge to move the controversial U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Base off Okinawa to the mainland.

Kan, Hatoyama's former finance minister and deputy prime minister, took over the reins of the Democratic Party of Japan and his own burden of mending Japan's relationship with the United States after more than a decade of growing disquiet by Okinawans over the behavior of U.S. troops.

The most notable issue was the rape of a 12-year-old Japanese girl by three U.S. soldiers in 1995 but there have been an increasing number of complaints about general noise levels of aircraft and especially concerns about safety.

In August 2004 a CH-53 helicopter grazed a university building in the city of Ginowan before crashing to the ground and catching fire. Three crew members were injured as well as some civilians but there were no deaths.

Even so, local groups demanded the closure of Futenma Air Base, located in a densely populated area next to the campus.

The next month, 30,000 people demonstrated in the streets against the continued presence of the base.

Kan said he will respect the Japan-U.S. accord announced in May, to move Futenma Air Base from its current crowded residential area to a less populated coastal area on the island.

Wednesday also marked the 50th anniversary of the bilateral security treaty, the reason behind the U.S. military presence in Japan.

Kan is expected to discuss the Okinawa issue with U.S. President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the coming summit of Group of Eight and Group of 20 leaders in Canada.

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