Labor costs at U.S. bases to face scrutiny

[FarCenter]

The Yomiuri Shimbun

In its drive to weed out waste in budgetary requests for fiscal 2010, the Administrative Revitalization Unit plans to examine the salaries of workers at U.S. bases in Japan as a target for cuts.

Such worker salaries are part of labor costs in the so-called sympathy budget for host-nation support to U.S. troops stationed in Okinawa Prefecture and elsewhere in the country.

Of the 191.9 billion yen in the Defense Ministry's host-nation budgetary requests, 116.4 billion yen will be subject to review for possible cuts, a government source said.

Government Revitalization Minister Yoshito Sengoku will discuss the issue with Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa before deciding on the budget cut plan at a meeting of the Administrative Revitalization Unit to be held early this week.

A total of 25,499 people were working at U.S. bases in Japan at the end of fiscal 2008, including clerks at command centers and employees of restaurants and recreation facilities such as golf courses.

A Japan-U.S. special agreement on host-nation support for U.S. bases calls for the Japanese government to pay salaries for 23,055 workers, with the rest paid by the U.S. military. The financial burden for the government is expected to be scrutinized by the Administrative Revitalization Unit for possible cuts.

<SNIP>http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20091108TDY01302.htm

[pscot]

1. Why do we need troops in Japan?

Let's get the fuck out.