The Japanese government is considering proposing in upcoming negotiations that it shoulder costs to strengthen protection of U.S. military facilities as part of its host-nation support for U.S. forces stationed in Japan, sources familiar with the matter said Saturday.
Japan hopes the move will strengthen the resilience of U.S. military facilities against explosive and electromagnetic attacks, among others, boosting deterrence and response capabilities of the longtime alliance with the United States, a key security ally, the sources said.
The proposal will be put forward in bilateral cost-sharing negotiations expected to begin in earnest as early as this summer, the sources said. U.S. President Donald Trump has been urging allies, including Japan, to pay more to host American forces.
Japan is expected to propose boosting its share of costs, traditionally focused on providing barracks and housing for service members and their families, under the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement.
Another option is to add a provision to a special agreement on host-nation support concluded every five years, the sources said.
The negotiations are expected to conclude with an agreement by year-end and will cover a five-year period from fiscal 2027, starting April next year, with representatives from Japan’s foreign and defense ministries and the U.S. State Department and Pentagon in attendance.
Washington has already conveyed to Tokyo behind the scenes the need to protect U.S. military facilities and sees increased Japanese spending as possible, a Japanese government source said.
The source said negotiations will likely reach a turning point in the fall, with Japan considering how much it can boost its spending based on the annual average of 200 billion yen ($1.3 billion) allotted for host-nation support.
Total outlays for hosting U.S. military bases are set at 1.06 trillion yen for the five years from fiscal 2022 to fiscal 2026. The largest total was 1.35 trillion yen for the five-year period from fiscal 1996 to fiscal 2000.
© KYODO
