The World - News from Nov. 25, 1987

Shintaro Abe, secretary general of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said his nation should increase its share of the costs of maintaining U.S. bases in Japan to help improve relations with the United States. Speaking to party supporters, Abe said Tokyo’s contribution to the costs of Japanese support personnel at the bases, now one-third of the total, should be increased to 50%. Major Japanese newspapers have reported that Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita will offer to increase support for U.S. military bases when he visits President Reagan in January.