The United States is returning almost 10,000 acres of land in Japan’s Okinawa prefecture back to Tokyo after decades of having a military base there, with the official ceremony of transfer set for Thursday.

The US forces deployed in Japan announced readiness to return the land on Wednesday.

The Okinawa land has been controlled by the United States since World War II, but the return of the territory was considered closely only last year amid tensions over the expansion of the US base there. The Japanese government stood by its decision to move the US military to another location, while Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga refused to fulfill Tokyo's recommendations to accept the relocation the base. Earlier this month, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced that the Pentagon would return some 9,800 acres to Tokyo by the end of the year.