US-Japan Agree on $11 Trillion KRW Cost-Sharing for US Troop Stationing Over 5 Years

Hayashi Yoshimasa, Japanese Foreign Minister
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Bu Aeri] The governments of the United States and Japan have set the total amount of the cost-sharing for the U.S. Forces Japan (USFJ) stationed in Japan, borne by Japan, at 1.0551 trillion yen (approximately 11 trillion KRW) for five years starting from fiscal year 2022 (April 2022 to March 2023).

The average annual contribution is about 211 billion yen (approximately 2.2 trillion KRW). This represents a 5% increase compared to the fiscal year 2021 contribution.

Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa announced this at a press conference on the afternoon of the 21st.

This is a 7.7% increase over the total amount for the five years from fiscal years 2016 to 2020.

The two countries have newly established a "Training Equipment Procurement Cost" item related to joint training costs between the U.S. military and the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF), and agreed to reduce Japan's share of utility costs at USFJ bases. The Training Equipment Procurement Cost is used to improve the training environment for USFJ and to procure equipment that can be jointly used by the JSDF. Japan plans to spend up to 20 billion yen (approximately 209.8 billion KRW) over five years under this item.

The Japanese government also agreed to bear additional costs incurred when fighter training, normally conducted in Guam, a U.S. territory, is held in Alaska, in order to reduce the burden on Okinawa, where U.S. military bases are concentrated.

The two countries plan to sign the new cost-sharing agreement at the upcoming Foreign and Defense Ministers (2+2) meeting scheduled to be held in the United States next month.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.