US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said in an interview with Japan's NHK broadcaster on Tuesday that he anticipates the United States will reach a cost-sharing deal with Japan on the presence of US troops in the country.
When asked how much Washington would ask Japan to pay to support the US troops' presence in the country, Pompeo said, "There's no number that I'm prepared to talk about or share today. We will come to an arrangement where each of our two countries exhibits goodwill, and I am confident that to be good partners and work alongside each other, to get the outcomes that our two countries need, we will share this tax. We will share this burden in a way that I think each country will find fair and equitable. I'm highly confident that we'll resolve this."
Pompeo added that the issue would not be resolved today, but rather during the course of "serious conversations" that will be held over the coming weeks and months.
The United States under President Donald Trump has ramped up pressure on nations hosting US bases to share a larger part of the financial burden, specifically South Korea and Japan. In June last year, John Bolton visited the two allies while still serving as a national security adviser, with reports claiming he demanded leadership of both countries to increase spending by up to 500 per cent. (/Sputnik)
( With inputs from ANI )
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