U.S. President Donald Trump’s pick to be ambassador to Japan, George Glass, said he will "undoubtedly" need to press Japan to contribute more money for hosting American troops in the country, while also having “tough conversations” about the allies’ economic relationship.

“Whether we have weapons systems that we need to upgrade, command-and-control that we're going to be upgrading along with the Japanese, these are very expensive ventures,” Glass told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing Thursday in Washington. “And so undoubtedly, I do believe we're going to have to go to the Japanese and talk about an increase in that support.”

The remarks were the latest volley from the Trump administration to target Japan, following similar comments by other nominees for top government posts and claims by the president, himself, that the bilateral security alliance is one-sided.

Trump, who has a long history of criticizing the U.S.-Japan alliance as an unfair partnership, reportedly even demanded during his first term that Tokyo nearly quadruple payments for hosting American troops to $8 billion per year — or risk their withdrawal.

The bilateral Special Measures Agreement (SMA), which delineates the amount Japan pays for hosting U.S. troops, is up for renewal in 2027.

Asked about Glass’ SMA remarks, the Japanese government’s top spokesperson on Friday called the current agreement “an appropriate division of cost-sharing.”

“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,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told a news conference.

Glass also said he would hold Tokyo to its promise to extend "the upward trajectory of its defense budget." Japan is currently aiming to spend 2% of its gross domestic product on defense by fiscal 2027 as part of a five-year, ¥43 trillion plan announced in 2022. Surpassing the 2% threshold had long been seen as taboo among some in ostensibly pacifist Japan.

Trump’s nominee to be the Pentagon’s top policy official said during a confirmation hearing earlier this month that Japan should be spending “at least 3% of GDP on defense as soon as possible,” as the U.S.-China rivalry grows increasingly acrimonious and as the Chinese military grows ever more assertive in the region, including near Japan.

As a part of deepening defense ties, which Glass said would be his “greatest priority,” he also expressed hopes for advancing the coproduction of defense equipment with Japan, including weapons such as advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAMs).

"Japan lives in a very tough neighborhood,” he said. “Whether it's China, Russia, North Korea, it's all in their backyard. So working together with them is of critical importance."

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, hinting that his experience with nontariff trade barriers as Trump’s ambassador to Portugal during his first term could also be applied to Japan.

During talks Thursday with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of a Group of Seven meeting in Canada, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya reiterated Tokyo’s request that it be exempted from Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum as well as any similar measures on its auto sector.

Japan has, so far, failed to win an exemption from the steel and aluminum tariffs, and concerns are growing that the U.S. will target the Japanese carmakers next.

Still, while Glass did emphasize that he would carry out Trump’s desire to have Japan pay for hosting American troops while boosting its defense spending and revamping its “unfair” economic relationship with the U.S., he also said the two countries’ relationship “is at an apex. It's at an all-time high.”

“We stand at the dawn of a new golden age between U.S. and Japan relations as we approach the 80th anniversaries of the Battle of Iwo Jima and the end of World War II,” he said. “It's remarkable to reflect on the evolution of this great relationship. America and Japan are now the strongest of allies.”