Splitting the Check: Military Cost and Burden-Sharing in the U.S.-Japan Alliance

Abstract

The U.S-Japan alliance is the cornerstone of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region. In November 2019, the Trump administration presented Japan with a demand for a 300 increase in cost-sharing to fund the continued presence of U.S. forces in Japan. This paper examines the genesis of the cost-sharing agreements between the U.S. and Japan and advocates for the enlargement of the aperture of consideration for the value of the alliance using a combined cost sharing and burden-sharing mindset. Also discussed is how the North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO) and Republic of Korea (ROK) cost and burden-sharing issues affect the analysis of Japanese contributions to the U.S.-Japan alliance. Finally, this paper looks at domestic political constraints and restraints in both the U.S. and Japan that influence how leaders approach cost and burden-sharing in arguably the most strategically important area in the world.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 14, 2020
Accession Number
AD1104579

Entities

People

  • Richard M. Rusnok

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Department Of Defense
  • Deterrence
  • Governments
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Organizations
  • National Governments
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Nato
  • Public Policy
  • Second World War
  • Security
  • South Korea
  • Treaties
  • United States
  • War Colleges

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Asian Economic Studies
  • International Relations and European Studies
  • Life Cycle Cost Analysis