Japan, U.S. start formal talks on costs to host American troops

Japan and the United States held negotiations in Washington on the cost-sharing agreement for Tokyo's hosting of American troops, the Japanese government said Wednesday.The two-day talks through Tuesday marked the start of full-fledged negotiations on Tokyo's new budget from April 2021 for hosting the around 55,000 U.S. military personnel stationed in Japan under the bilateral security alliance, as the current five-year deal expires next March.The two sides said costs shouldered by Japan have "played an important role for ensuring the smooth and effective activities" of U.S. forces in the c…READ FULL ARTICLE