Agence France-Presse, The Japanese government plans to cut about 87.3 million dollars in host-nation support for U.S. military forces stationed in the country due to Tokyo’s budget constraints, a report said Oct. 21.
The planned cut will likely be made in the form of personnel cuts in Japanese workers at U.S. military bases nationwide, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said.
If realized, the cut would be the first reduction in government financial support for U.S. forces stationed in Japan, it said.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is scheduled to visit Japan early next month to negotiate a new budget deal and to discuss the Japanese military’s refueling mission for U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan.
A total of 25,400 Japanese work at U.S. military bases in Japan.
The government allocated a total of 217.3 billion yen for the so-called “sympathy budget” as part of the fiscal 2007 spending plan to help pay the cost of operating U.S. bases in Japan.
