“I believe it is enough. We are bearing the costs of what we ought to pay at present,” Inada told a press conference, referring to the nearly 200 billion yen ($1.9 billion) in so-called host-nation support paid every year.
Attention is growing in Japan to how the Japan-U.S. alliance may be influenced under the presidency of Trump, who has called for Japan and other U.S. allies to pay more toward the cost of stationing U.S. forces there and even threatened to pull troops out of the countries unless they do so.
Inada says Japan now paying enough for hosting U.S. forces
Asked by a reporter whether Japan will reject any U.S. requests to increase the host-nation support, Inada said, “I’m not in a position to answer a hypothetical question.”
The defense minister, meanwhile, highlighted the significance of the U.S. forces stationed in Japan amid the tough regional security environment.
“The Japan-U.S. alliance is the linchpin of our country’s security and the U.S. military presence in our country is important not only for our defense but also for the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region,” she said.
The host-nation support, which began in fiscal 1978, covers various expenses such as salaries for workers and utilities at U.S. military facilities and is shouldered voluntarily by Japan.
Source:japantoday.com
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