Source: Global Times

[Global Times Report] According to reports by Japan's Jiji Press, U.S. President Donald Trump hinted during negotiations with Japan over tariff issues that Japan should bear more of the costs for the stationing of U.S. troops in Japan. On April 17th, Japan's Minister of Defense Gen Nakatani stated, "Based on the consensus between the Japanese and American governments, the costs for the stationing of U.S. troops in Japan are reasonably shared, and there is no reason to change this at present."

Japanese Minister of Defense Gen Nakatani - Photo Material

Regarding the possibility that the U.S. side may raise demands in the field of security during the tariff negotiations, Gen Nakatani said, "This is a separate issue from tariffs."

In addition, according to reports, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba also stated on April 17th that the costs for the stationing of U.S. troops in Japan are reasonably shared based on the consensus between the U.S. and Japan.

According to reports by Japanese media such as the "Nikkei Economic News," U.S. President Donald Trump met with visiting Japanese Minister of State for Economic Revitalization Akira Akazawa on April 16th to discuss tariff issues. Prior to the talks, Trump posted on social media that military support costs would be one of the topics in the negotiations with Japan. Japanese government sources revealed that during his meeting with Akazawa, Trump expressed dissatisfaction with the proportion of costs borne by the U.S. and Japan in the field of security, considering the current state to be "unfair" for the United States. Akazawa then explained that both sides had previously reached an agreement that, from 2022 to 2026, Japan would annually contribute approximately 2.11 billion yen toward the stationing costs of U.S. troops in Japan.

The Japanese media reported that during Trump's previous term as president, he had already demanded that the Japanese government bear more costs for the stationing of U.S. troops in Japan. After being re-elected as U.S. President, he repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the proportions. Trump stated, "We have the responsibility to protect Japan, but Japan does not need to protect us. We spend billions of dollars to protect them, but if the U.S. is attacked, they do not need to do anything."

Original Article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7494508645108187700/

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