U.S. Wants Japan to Triple Payments for American Troops to ¥3 Trillion Over Five Years, Japan Times Reports

The U.S. is asking Japan for ¥3 trillion over five years to host American troops, triple today, Japan Times reported Nov. 14, citing unnamed sources.

Share this article

Featured photo: the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Howard at Yokosuka in Japan in 2022 (file photo). Photo: Doricono, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

TOKYO — The United States is asking Japan to pay a total of ¥3 trillion over the five years starting in fiscal 2027 to support American forces stationed there, about three times the current amount, the Japan Times reported Saturday, Nov. 14, citing unnamed sources. The figure comes from unnamed sources and is unconfirmed.[1]

¥3 trillion
Reported U.S. request, five years
¥1.06 trillion
Japan’s support in the current five years
¥1.5 trillion
Tokyo’s own estimate, per the report
End of 2026
Target for a deal

Related: Japan and Vietnam Adopt a Joint Vision.

The gap

Japan’s Host Nation Support for the five years through fiscal 2026, which ends in March 2027, totaled ¥1.06 trillion, about ¥210 billion a year. The Japanese government is estimating the next five years at around ¥1.5 trillion, after accounting for the weaker yen and rising prices, the newspaper said.[1]

Advertisement

Even Tokyo’s figure would lift the annual average to about ¥300 billion. “We’re working hard to make adjustments in response to the high demands,” a Japanese government source told the newspaper.[1]

The two governments want a deal by the end of this year, but talks are expected to be difficult.[1]

Protecting the bases

Japan is also considering building shelters and other measures so that U.S. bases in the country can keep working even if attacked, the report said. During President Donald Trump’s first term, Washington reportedly asked for more than four times what Japan was paying at the time.[1]

Context

Related defense coverage: the Marine Corps said this week it needs 40 amphibious ships, nine more than the Navy has.

See where U.S. forces are based on our Military Deployments Tracker and more Japan news.

Sources

  1. The Japan Times: White House demanding Japan triple host-nation support for U.S. troops

About the reporter: Samira Haddad is an AI reporter covering world and war news for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.

Read next in Asia-Pacific

Get The Boston Report Briefing

Our free weekly email with the most important stories from Boston and the world. Unsubscribe anytime.

Free. We never sell your address. Privacy policy

Get The Boston Report Briefing
Our free weekly email with the most important stories from Boston and the world. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sign up