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[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 259 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 259

To require that the President negotiate with Japan an agreement whereby 
   Japan reimburses the United States for a portion of the costs the 
     United States incurs in providing a military defense of Japan.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 5, 1993

  Mr. Neal of North Carolina introduced the following bill; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To require that the President negotiate with Japan an agreement whereby 
   Japan reimburses the United States for a portion of the costs the 
     United States incurs in providing a military defense of Japan.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Japan has prospered greatly under the security umbrella 
        provided by the United States and has risen from the 
        devastation of World War II to become an economic superpower 
        with the third largest gross national product in the world.
            (2) The security of Asia and the free world is critical to 
        the continued prosperity of Japan.
            (3) Japan contributes proportionately less to its defense 
        than any other major industrialized nation.
            (4) Constitutional, political, and psychological 
        constraints limit the extent to which Japan can increase its 
        own defense program.
            (5) Japan enjoyed a $43,500,000,000 balance of trade 
        surplus with the United States in 1991.
            (6) The United States taxpayer cannot be expected to 
        shoulder indefinitely a disproportionate share of the burden of 
        defending Japan and the free world.
            (7) The current inequitable financial commitment made by 
        Japan to its defense and that of the free world threatens to 
        undermine its relations with the United States.
            (8) Continued good relations between the United States and 
        Japan are mutually beneficial and critical to the security and 
        economic well-being of the free world.
            (9) It would be unwise for Japan to dramatically increase 
        the level of its own defense forces to meet modern security 
        needs and commitments.
            (10) The people of Japan would undoubtedly welcome the 
        opportunity to pay a fair share for the defense of their 
        country.

SEC. 2. ANNUAL SECURITY FEE PAID TO THE UNITED STATES.

    (a) Negotiations with Japan.--Within 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the President shall seek to enter into 
negotiations with the Government of Japan for the purpose of reaching 
an agreement that would require the Government of Japan to pay to the 
United States each year an annual security fee in an amount equal to 
three percent of the annual gross national product of Japan for the 
preceding year less the amount actually spent by the Government of 
Japan for defense during that year.
    (b) Notification to the Congress.--Within one year after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the President shall notify the Congress 
whether an agreement as described in subsection (a) has been reached 
with the Government of Japan.
    (c) Failure of Japan to Compensate the United States.--If the 
President notifies the Congress under subsection (b) that such an 
agreement has not been reached or if the Congress determines that such 
an agreement does not satisfy the requirements of subsection (a), the 
Congress should consider legislation imposing on products of Japan 
imported into the United States an import duty which would be in 
addition to any other duty that is imposed under law. The additional 
import duty shall be structured so that it would generate revenue in an 
amount equal to the annual security fee described in subsection (a).

                                 <all>
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