Nearly 4,000 people protested Sunday a proposal to transfer U.S. warplanes to a Marine base in this western Japanese city from an Okinawan base slated for closure.

The proposed transfer is part of an effort to consolidate bases on the southern island of Okinawa, where anti-U.S. military sentiment has intensified since three U.S. servicemen raped an Okinawan girl in September.

The United States has agreed to close the Futenma Marine Corps air base and return the 1,190-acre site to Okinawa.