Tokyo wants to tighten the budget supporting the 50,000 U.S. troops based in Japan. It covers some of the costs of the American bases in the country under a security agreement with the U.S.

The All Japan Garrison Forces Labor Union began a 24-hour strike Friday after the Japanese government failed to present proposals because of continuing internal negotiations, said Tsuneo Teruya, the union’s secretary-general.

“The union has made concessions. But the government failed to give us responses,” he said.

About 16,000 union members and some nonunion workers at about 40 locations across Japan took part in the strike, Teruya said.

On Nov. 21, the union carried out a one-day strike in response to a proposal the government made last month to cut benefits. The action was the first nationwide strike at U.S. bases in Japan since 1991, according to the union.

The government wants to cut a monthly benefit worth 10 percent of each worker’s salary and a special benefit of up to 6,000 yen (US$54; euro36) a month, depending on the worker’s fluency in English, and other items.

Japan’s government is under pressure to keep its defense spending down, while still supporting the U.S. troop presence and fortifying its own military.

Japan allocated 217.3 billion yen (US$1.98 billion; euro1.34 billion) as the budget for U.S. bases for fiscal year 2007, which ends in March 2008. Japan pays more than any other country that hosts U.S. troops.

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