Japan is considering raising its share of the cost of hosting US forces to more than ¥300 billion a year on average, as Washington pushes for roughly triple the current ¥211 billion, the Asahi Shimbun reported.
Multiple government officials confirmed the direction of the talks. The two governments are aiming to reach agreement by the end of the year and are continuing last-stage negotiations.
The host-nation support agreement is negotiated between Japan and the US in principle every five years. Under it, Japan pays the labor costs of Japanese employees at the bases, utility bills for the facilities, and the cost of relocating US training.
The payments carry a strong connotation of support for US forces in Japan, and have long been called omoiyari yosan — the "sympathy budget."
Current pact expires in March
The current agreement expires in March 2027. Foreign and defense officials from both sides have held repeated rounds of talks since July.
With the US seeking a threefold increase, the Japanese side sees some rise as unavoidable and expects to land at more than ¥300 billion a year on average.
The gap with Washington remains wide, and the negotiations are expected to be difficult. A source close to Japan-US relations said the two sides would need to look for common ground.
“Going forward, Japan and the US will need to search for a point of compromise.”a source close to Japan-US relations, told the Asahi Shimbun