The text of the following statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America and Japan on the beginning of formal negotiations on Host Nation Support.
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On November 9-10 in Washington D.C., the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Japan held formal negotiations on Host Nation Support. The new Host Nation Support agreement will replace the existing agreement which expires on March 31, 2021. The negotiations were led by the chief negotiators, Mr. Yutaka Arima, Deputy Director-General, North American Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ms. Donna Welton, Senior Advisor, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, Department of State, with participation from the Japanese Ministry of Defense and U.S. Department of Defense, including Mr. Taro Yamato, Deputy Director-General, Defense Policy Bureau, Ministry of Defense, and Mr. Heino Klinck, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Defense, East Asia, Department of Defense.
The United States and Japan reaffirmed that Host Nation Support has played an important role for ensuring the smooth and effective activities of the U.S. Forces in Japan, which remain central to the U.S.-Japan Alliance. For more than 60 years the U.S.-Japan Alliance has served as the cornerstone of peace, stability, and freedom in the Indo-Pacific region. The two sides affirmed the importance of further enhancing the strong solidarity of the Alliance. We look forward to a mutually beneficial outcome, which will strengthen and sustain our work together to address shared regional and global objectives.
