Tokyo: United States President Donald Trump’s nominee for the country’s next Ambassador to Tokyo, George Glass, has said that Washington will “undoubtedly” need to press Japan to contribute more money to host the US forces in the region.
Referring to an agreement that is up for renewal in 2027, Glass also stated that the US-Japan relationship is “at an apex”. He added that he will work tirelessly to make bilateral ties even stronger, if he is confirmed. Regarding the security situation in the Indo-Pacific region, Glass expressed concern about China’s military activities, the local media reported
At the senate confirmation hearing, Glass further said that Japan was home to 60,000 US troops and Tokyo had been providing support for the US military there of around 1.4 billion US dollars a year. At the same time, the sophistication of Chinese forces had grown, and the cost of pushing back against Beijing had become “significantly more expensive”.
“Whether we have weapons systems that we need to upgrade, command-and-control that we are going to be upgrading along with the Japanese, these are very expensive ventures,” he said.
“And so undoubtedly, I do believe we are going to have to go to the Japanese and talk about an increase in that support,” ‘Japan Today’ quoted Glass as saying.
The bilateral Special Measures Agreement delineates the amount Japan pays for hosting US troops. “While we refrain from making any prejudgment on how the cost burden should be borne after the expiration of the current Special Measures Agreement, we will continue to examine the appropriate burden to be borne by the Japanese side,” Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said addressing a news conference, leading Japanese newspaper The Japan Times reported.
Glass also touched on other challenges facing bilateral relations, including economic issues. “If confirmed, I will have tough conversations on tariffs and reducing our trade deficit with Japan,” he said. He stated that Japan has committed to extending the upward trajectory of its defence budget, building capabilities that advance both our national security goals and strengthen deterrence in the Indo-Pacific.
Emphasising the US-Japan Alliance, Glass said that both nations are celebrating its 65th anniversary in 2025, and it is the cornerstone of peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. “And our shared values facilitate cooperation in the G7, the Quad, trilateral engagements with South Korea and the Philippines, and more,” he said, according to a statement issued by US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
(IANS)
