October 5, 2015
The total asset value of U.S. bases in Japan is higher than that of any other non-U.S. country hosting U.S. military facilities. This was revealed in a report released by the U.S. Department of Defense.
The Pentagon recently published the 2015 Base Structure Report (BSR). According to that report, as of the end of September 2014, the assets of U.S. bases in Japan total 61.87 billion dollars, accounting for about 40% of all American bases outside the United States. Germany is ranked second with a property value of 40.52 billion dollars.
Six U.S. bases in Japan are among the top 10 highly-valued American military facilities abroad. The number one base asset is the U.S. Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, whose worth is estimated at 7.59 billion dollars. It is followed by the U.S. Yokosuka Naval Base in Kanagawa Prefecture valued at 7.43 billion dollars.
The asset value of a U.S. base is calculated based on the number of buildings, their total floor space, and the equipped infrastructure, excluding land values. The value of U.S. bases in Japan goes up every year since the Japanese government spends its so-called “sympathy budget” to improve existing installations and build new structures and facilities on those bases.
Meanwhile, the total number of overseas American bases stands at 513 in 2014, down 63 from the previous year. The number of bases has decreased almost by half since the 1990s.
On the other hand, the number of U.S. bases in Japan has been barely reduced during the same period of time. This is because Tokyo has claimed that the presence of the U.S. military provides Japan’s deterrent capability. The Abe administration is trying to construct a cutting-edge U.S. base in Okinawa’s Henoko coastal district using the Japanese taxpayers’ money.
Past related article:
> Japanese gov’t helps US bases in Japan increase their value to 46 billion dollars [September 29, 2015]
The Pentagon recently published the 2015 Base Structure Report (BSR). According to that report, as of the end of September 2014, the assets of U.S. bases in Japan total 61.87 billion dollars, accounting for about 40% of all American bases outside the United States. Germany is ranked second with a property value of 40.52 billion dollars.
Six U.S. bases in Japan are among the top 10 highly-valued American military facilities abroad. The number one base asset is the U.S. Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, whose worth is estimated at 7.59 billion dollars. It is followed by the U.S. Yokosuka Naval Base in Kanagawa Prefecture valued at 7.43 billion dollars.
The asset value of a U.S. base is calculated based on the number of buildings, their total floor space, and the equipped infrastructure, excluding land values. The value of U.S. bases in Japan goes up every year since the Japanese government spends its so-called “sympathy budget” to improve existing installations and build new structures and facilities on those bases.
Meanwhile, the total number of overseas American bases stands at 513 in 2014, down 63 from the previous year. The number of bases has decreased almost by half since the 1990s.
On the other hand, the number of U.S. bases in Japan has been barely reduced during the same period of time. This is because Tokyo has claimed that the presence of the U.S. military provides Japan’s deterrent capability. The Abe administration is trying to construct a cutting-edge U.S. base in Okinawa’s Henoko coastal district using the Japanese taxpayers’ money.
Past related article:
> Japanese gov’t helps US bases in Japan increase their value to 46 billion dollars [September 29, 2015]
