Keeping U.S. troops in Japan costs taxpayers over a billion dollars extra annually

Evidence

Temporarily putting aside questions about the wisdom, efficacy, and morality of this strategy, its financial costs alone should raise serious doubts. Remember that despite large sums contributed by the Japanese government, U.S. taxpayers are likely paying 150 million to 225 million more per year to keep around fifteen thousand marines in Okinawa compared to basing them in the United States. Basing U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force personnel in Okinawa and elsewhere in Japan is even more expensive for the U.S. government compared to domestic basing. The total additional cost to U.S. taxpayers to maintain 109 base sites and more than fifty thousand troops in Japan could easily top one billion dollars a year. Ironically enough, in addition to those being extorted in Okinawa and Japan, Americans are being extorted too. — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 888

Remember that despite large sums contributed by the Japanese government, U.S. taxpayers are likely paying 150 million to 225 million more per year to keep around fifteen thousand marines in Okinawa compared to basing them in the United States. Basing U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force personnel in Okinawa and elsewhere in Japan is even more expensive for the U.S. government compared to domestic basing. The total additional cost to U.S. taxpayers to maintain 109 base sites and more than fifty thousand troops in Japan could easily top one billion dollars a year. — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 888

Categorization

• SEED: Hard financial figure (over $1 billion extra annually for Japan basing) is citable data for an article or op-ed on base costs
• XREF: Triggers the ADDENDUM-style link to the reader’s body of work on how bases extract costs from both host nations and US taxpayers — connects to: Stationing troops overseas costs tens of thousands more per person annually; The Futenma response agreement produced billions in new US housing funded by Japan.; Japan covers roughly three-quarters of U.S. basing costs annually (+3 more)
• QUESTION: These are estimates at ‘likely’ and ‘could easily’ — worth chasing the underlying cost-comparison studies for firmer figures.
• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 888

Broader Connections

• Stationing a soldier abroad costs each taxpayer $10,000–$40,000 more annually #corroborates (0.80) — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 28
• US overseas bases cost taxpayers at least $71.8 billion annually #expands (0.75) — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 29
• Japan and South Korea each contributed $2.3 billion toward US bases in 2012 #qualifies (0.60)