Japan To Reduce Military By 20 Percent

Japan will reduce its military troops and hardware by about 20 percent to reflect post-Cold War needs, the Kyodo News Service said Saturday.

Kyodo, quoting unnamed military sources, said Japan would cut its ground troops from 150,000 to 144,000. Purchases of tanks and F-1 fighter planes would be reduced, the report said.

Kyodo did not say when the cuts would take place, although Japan is operating under a five-year military procurement plan.

The director of the Defense Agency, Gen. Tokuichiro Tamazawa, is expected to outline the cuts when he visits the United States in May, Kyodo said. A Defense Agency spokesman declined to comment.