Financial support row will not affect US-Japan ties

US President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visit the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, with Washington Monument in the background April 27, 2015. Abe is on a week-long visit to the US. [Photo/Agencies]

The Japanese government is seeking a major reduction in the financial support it provides for United States forces stationed in the country, while Washington reportedly wants Tokyo to ramp up its contribution. Comments:

Japan's financial burden is expected to increase under its recently-enacted security legislation; unless the host-nation support is decreased to make up for this, it will be difficult to get public backing.

Kyodo News Agency, Oct 23

The row between Tokyo and Washington over the amount of host-nation financial support Japan provides is unlikely to cause substantial damages to their alliance. However, it may to some extent offer a glimpse into possible changes in the military ties between Japan and the United States. In the post-World War II era, Japan has depended on the US military for protection and been willing to pay a large sum of money for it. As Japan has become a major world economy, it is now able to use the payment as a bargain chip to gain equal footing while still keeping the alliance with the US.

Xinhua News Agency, Oct 25

Tokyo aims to respond to a quest by Okinawans that the US base must not be relocated on the island. But the fact is, it is very likely to come to meet Washington's demand, because it needs the US government to back the implementation of its new security bills. Further, bilateral negotiations, though possible, will not make a substantial difference to their alliance, as special as it is.

Li Li, a military technology professor at the PLA National Defense University, Oct 12