Despite criticism from the Japanese, parliament has backed a program to fund US military bases located in Japan
Previously News Front has repeatedly reported on the fact that the Japanese are extremely skeptical about the U.S. military contingent, which in fact occupies their country. The situation is particularly acute on the island of Okinawa. Locals regularly demand the closure of the US military base. The citizens’ discontent is linked to a number of incidents in which Americans are involved. In particular, in 2019, an American soldier killed a local resident here.
All this has not stopped Japanese parliamentarians from allocating nearly 202 billion yen [$1.9 billion] for the maintenance of US bases. Moreover, according to Kyodo news agency, Japan and the US will be discussing funding for US military facilities beyond 2022 in the coming months. The costs are expected to fall on the shoulders of Japanese taxpayers.
For example, Japan currently pays all utility bills for the Americans, as well as salaries for personnel working on US bases.