I
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 agree-
ment whereby Japan reimburses the United States for
a portion of the costs the United States incurs in provid-
ing a military defense of Japan.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives 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 se-
curity umbrella provided by the United States and
has risen from the devastation of World War II to
become an economic superpower with the third larg-
est 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 in-
crease 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 ex-
pected to shoulder indefinitely a disproportionate
share of the burden of defending Japan and the free
world.
(7) The current inequitable financial commit-
ment 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 dramati-
cally 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 Presi-
dent shall notify the Congress whether an agreement as
described in subsection (a) has been reached with the Gov-
ernment 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 agree-
ment does not satisfy the requirements of subsection (a),
the Congress should consider legislation imposing on prod-
ucts 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 sub-
section (a).
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