Shigeru Ishiba: Security guarantee issues should not be linked to tariff negotiations

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said at a meeting of the Senate Budget Committee of the Diet on Monday (April 21) that security issues should not be linked to the Japan-US tariff negotiations.

Akira Koike, the secretary and director of the Japanese Communist Party, pointed out at the meeting regarding the funds for the US troops stationed in Japan that Japan has already borne a large amount of related expenses, but the US side still considers it "insufficient". Although the Japanese side claims that this is a different issue from tariffs, the US side confuses the two issues. "Regarding demands such as further increasing the funds for the US troops stationed in Japan, (the Japanese side) absolutely cannot accept them."

Shigeru Ishiba responded, "Japan has no intention of blindly following the US's demands and taking on more burdens." He emphasized, "Security guarantee issues should not be linked to tariff negotiations."

Recently, US President Trump mentioned at the Japan-US tariff negotiations that Japan should share more of the cost of the US troops' presence in Japan. Japanese Defense Minister Motonori Nakatya said last Friday (18th) that Japan and the United States have already reached an agreement on the cost of the US troops' presence in Japan that Japan should bear before the fiscal year 2026, and there is no reason to change it.