The governments of Japan and the United States have agreed to extend the terms for the distribution of costs for maintaining American bases in the country until March 31, 2022 (the end of the next fiscal year in Japan). This is stated in a message released on Wednesday by the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
“The governments of Japan and the United States have agreed to extend the current conditions for the distribution of costs for one fiscal year, – the message emphasizes. – The parties also agreed to continue negotiations on the distribution of costs for a further period.”
As Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said at a press conference on Wednesday, “the expenses incurred by the Japanese side in fiscal 2021 will amount to 201.7 billion yen (about $ 1.9 billion).”
Earlier, former US Assistant to the President for National Security John Bolton, in his published memoirs, said that in 2019 Washington demanded that Tokyo allocate $ 8 billion annually for the maintenance of American military bases in the country – 4.4 times more than it is now. Former US President Donald Trump, as the book says, ordered his aide to threaten a complete withdrawal of American troops from Japan if it refuses to increase spending.
Google News!Japan’s spending on maintaining US military bases in fiscal 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 and also pays salaries to locally hired personnel.
