The United States has urged Japan to shoulder more for hosting American troops during preparatory talks on a fresh cost-sharing agreement from fiscal 2022 and onward, according to diplomatic sources.
The two allies will launch full-fledged, working-level talks in early August in the United States to conclude the multiyear agreement as Tokyo seeks to convince Washington it cannot greatly increase its burden due to strained finances, the sources said Wednesday.
The United States is urging Japan to increase its burden as it seeks to raise the presence of the U.S. military in the Indo-Pacific region in the face of China's military expansion, according to the sources.