Japan has decided to accept a U.S. request to pay more for hosting its military forces from fiscal 2022, diplomatic sources said Sunday.

The two countries held working-level negotiations in Washington from late November through early this month.

The government is expected to reach an agreement on the increase with the United States before Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet decides on a draft budget for the fiscal year starting in April later this month, the sources said.

The Japanese government is believed to have determined that a certain amount of increase in so-called host nation support is inevitable in light of the need to boost their long-standing security alliance. U.S. forces are currently mobilizing their most advanced hardware in the region to address China’s rapid military expansion.

The next focus will be on the extent of the hike, given that the cost for basing American troops in Japan is also rising.

For the current fiscal year through March, the support to cover costs, such as utilities and wages for Japanese staff at U.S. military bases, was budgeted at ¥201.7 billion ($1.79 billion). ...continue reading