The commander of the U.S. Marine Corps in the Pacific reportedly says the most important mission of his forces stationed in Okinawa, Japan, is to remain ready to remove nuclear weapons from North Korea in the event of a contingency.

Japan's Mainichi Shimbun daily says U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific Commander Lieutenant General Keith Stalder told a Japanese defense official last month that the operational target of his forces in Okinawa is North Korea.

Stalder reportedly said that the odds of a Kim Jong-il regime collapse are higher than an inter-Korean clash and that in the case of a collapse, swift removal of its nuclear weapons is the Marine Corps' most critical task.

The U.S. has previously described the forces’ mission in Okinawa as focusing on countering North Korean threats, deterring Chinese military expansion and assisting in disaster relief.