Japan’s Foreign Ministry said the sides also agreed to continue talks on cost-sharing for a further period
The governments of Japan and the United States have agreed to extend the terms of cost sharing for the maintenance of US bases in the country until March 31, 2022 (the end of Japan’s next fiscal year). The Japanese foreign ministry said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
“The Japanese and US governments have agreed to extend the current cost-sharing terms for one fiscal year,” the statement stressed. – The parties have also agreed to continue negotiations on cost-sharing for a further period.”
Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi told a press conference on Wednesday that “the expenditure to be incurred by the Japanese side in fiscal year 2021 will be 201.7 billion yen (about $1.9 billion).”
Earlier, former US national security aide John Bolton said in his published memoirs that Washington demanded that Tokyo allocate $8 billion annually in 2019 to maintain US military bases in the country – 4.4 times more than it does now. Former US President Donald Trump, according to the book, has ordered his aide to threaten a complete withdrawal of US troops from Japan if it refuses to increase spending.
Japan’s cost of maintaining US military bases in fiscal year 2020 (ending March 31, 2021) will be 199.3 billion yen (more than $1.8 billion). Japan pays all utility costs associated with these facilities, as well as salaries for locally hired personnel.