Trump demands Japan triple American troop hosting costs to US$19 billion

The US administration of President Donald Trump has demanded Japan triple its spending on hosting American troops to more than 3 trillion yen (US$19 billion) over five years starting in the 2027 financial year, sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

Japan is considering substantially increasing the payment to its major security ally to roughly 1.5 trillion yen, they said.

The coming host-nation support for US forces stationed in Japan is expected to include spending to boost resilience and survivability of US military facilities in Japan in the event of an attack and could total more than 300 billion yen annually.

Bilateral cost-sharing negotiations got into full gear in Tokyo this summer. Another round of talks is expected to take place possibly next week, with the Japanese and US governments aiming to reach an agreement by the end of the year, the sources said.

“While 3 trillion yen over five years would be difficult to accept, there is a possibility to pay around 1.5 trillion yen,” a diplomatic source said.

Total outlays for hosting US military bases were set at 1.06 trillion yen for the five years from the 2022 financial year to the 2026 financial year through next March, or around 211 billion yen annually.

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The largest total was 1.35 trillion yen for the five-year period from the 1996 financial year to the 2000 financial year.

Regarding resilience-enhancement spending, the Japanese government is considering supporting measures such as moving base functions underground and strengthening building structures to prepare for explosions and electromagnetic attacks.

During his first term as president, Trump also pressed Japan to shoulder a massive share of the cost of hosting US troops.

The current spending package was agreed to under the previous administration of Joe Biden and includes funding for items such as the procurement of advanced systems to be used in joint training by the Japanese Self-Defence Forces and the US military.