Japan Must Refuse Trump’s Military Cost Demand, Ex-Minister Says

Japan needs to firmly refuse US President Donald Trump’s calls for Tokyo to increase what it pays to keep American military bases in the country, a former Japanese foreign minister said, a day before the second round of talks over tariffs between the allies.

“Japan has already been paying more than enough for defense,” Seiji Maehara, now co-leader of the opposition Ishin party, told Bloomberg on Wednesday in an interview in Washington. “We should resolutely reject the US request to increase the cost of supporting American bases,” he said.

Seiji Maehara in 2017.

Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg

The expense of US military bases has been ...