
TOKYO: The Japanese and US governments will start full-fledged negotiations in Washington this week on sharing the costs of US military bases in Japan, Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said Tuesday.
“We’ll hold the talks with an appropriate attitude, keeping in mind the increasingly tough regional security environment and our country’s severe fiscal situation,” Kishi told a news conference.
The Japanese government is aiming to conclude the negotiations within December, ahead of the expiration of the ongoing cost-sharing pact at the end of next March.
“We’ll work hard to reach an agreement as soon as possible,” Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said at a separate press conference.
JIJI Press