Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan), Apr 27, 2006
Apr. 27--TOKYO -- Japan may have to spend more than 2 trillion yen to assist in the realignment of U.S. forces in the next six to seven years, although the U.S. estimation has been said by Tokyo to be exaggerated, government sources said Wednesday.
"There will be about 1.5 trillion yen spent [regrouping bases] in Japan alone, and the total [spent on U.S. force realignment by Japan] likely will be more than 2 trillion yen," a senior Defense Agency official said in his reaction to the figure of $26 billion, or about 2.89 trillion yen, mentioned in a statement by U.S. Deputy Defense Undersecretary Richard Lawless.
Lawless said in Washington on Tuesday the cost of realigning U.S. forces in Japan, which he hopes to complete in 2012, will be about $26 billion. "It is their [Japan's] responsibility [to cover that cost]," Lawless said.
The $26 billion figure includes the cost of relocating U.S. marines from Okinawa Prefecture to Guam, Lawless said.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said Wednesday his impression of the figure $26 billion that Lawless mentioned was "extraordinary."
But Abe added he was aware there would be a need for an "appropriate" amount of spending out of the budget, adding that the Defense Agency and the Finance Ministry would be dealing with the U.S. request.
A senior Defense Agency official said the figure Lawless presented was perhaps a little exaggerated. "The U.S. administration, because of its concerns in Congress, needed to emphasize the costs Japan would be asked to shoulder," the official said.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi also said the U.S. government needed to impress its domestic audience.
"There are views held among the American public that Japan's defense burden is too small compared to theirs. [Lawless' remarks] were spoken with an eye on American public opinion," Koizumi said Wednesday.
The government, however, has yet to scrutinize exactly how much would be needed for the overall regrouping of U.S. forces in Japan, officials admitted.
If Lawless' estimation was accurate, Japan would have to pay nearly 500 billion yen annually until 2012, the target year for the completion of the realignment. That would equal roughly 10 percent of the nation's annual defense-related budget, which is about 4.8 trillion yen for the fiscal 2006.
The Finance Ministry, which advocates an overall reduction in government spending, insists all funds needed for assisting U.S. forces' regroup should be raised out of the defense-related budget.
On Tuesday, before Lawless' remarks were reported, Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki spoke of the need to consider cutting the 24.24 trillion yen five-year defense build up program for fiscal 2005 through 2009 if Japan is to assist with the U.S. forces realignment.
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