Japan Press Weekly

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2018 April 25 - May 8 [US FORCES]

US bases in Japan valued at 78 billion dollars

The asset value of U.S. bases in Japan totaled 77.6 billion dollars as of the end of September 2016, the highest among countries hosting U.S. bases, far exceeding the second highest country which is Germany.

This was shown in the Base Structure Report recently published by the U.S. Department of Defense.

The asset value of each U.S. military installation was calculated based on the number of buildings inside, the total floor area, infrastructure, and other factors not including land prices. As the Japanese government provides the U.S. military with the “sympathy budget” to implement the construction and renovation of U.S. military facilities in Japan, the total value of U.S. bases in Japan grows every year. The seven most expensive U.S. bases overseas except the first one are all located in Japan.

The total number of U.S. installations outside the country stood at 517, down by 70 from the previous report issued two and a half years ago. Germany hosts 49 fewer facilities compared to that time. The U.S. DoD plans to reduce the number of its bases in Europe by 15 within a few years. It was recently reported that U.S. President Donald Trump instructed the Pentagon to consider the option of downsizing the U.S. military in South Korea.

According to the report, during the past decade, the number of U.S. military bases outside the country decreased by 40%. The reasons for this decline are thought to be that the U.S. tried to cut the stationing costs for its troops and that host countries are increasingly critical of the U.S. military presence. In contrast, the situation in Japan remains almost unchanged during the same period of time as the Japanese government paid a large part of the U.S. military’s stationing costs as well as costs for the Henoko base construction and other projects to strengthen the functions of U.S. bases in Japan. Furthermore, the Japanese government cracks down on local residents and municipalities opposing U.S. military bases.

Past related article:
> Asset value of US bases in Japan is highest in the world [October 5, 2015]