April 12, 2025

U.S. President Donald Trump on April 10, regarding costs for the stationing of the U.S. military in Japan under the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, complained, “We pay hundreds of billions of dollars to defend them, but…they don’t pay anything.”

Japanese Communist Party Policy Commission Chair Yamazoe Taku on the following day at a press conference in the Diet building criticized Trump’s remark for significantly ignoring the facts.

Yamazoe pointed out that in the first place, the U.S. forces in Japan, including the assault force of Marine Corps, have been deployed to be at the front lines under the U.S. global strategy, not to protect Japan. He said that Japan, despite having no obligation to do so under the bilateral security treaty, every year earmarks more than 200 billion yen for the so-called “sympathy budget” that covers the costs for the stationing of the U.S. military in Japan. He condemned Trump for making such a misinformed and misleading remark.

Yamazoe noted that Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa at a news briefing on the day showed a submissive stance with his comments, such as saying that Japan will closely work with the U.S. in order to further enhance the bilateral military alliance. The JCP Policy Commission chair stressed, “What is important for the Japanese government is that it should make proper criticism of the U.S. government which is currently causing chaos in the global economy through its leader’s frequent contradictory statements containing factual errors.”

Past related article:
> US military-related expenses paid by Japan amount to more than one trillion yen [March 5, 2024]