Japan and the US on Friday agreed on a plan that will see some land occupied by the US military returned to the islands.

Japan and the US on Friday agreed on a plan that will see some land occupied by the US military returned to the islands.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US Ambassador John Roos issued a joint statement in a bid to break the deadlock in a long-stalled deal, Agence France Presse reported.

Under the agreement, five US military facilities and other areas on Okinawa's main island will return to Japan over the coming years.

Land currently occupied by the controversial Futenma Airbase will be also returned "in fiscal 2022 or later," the joint statement said.