U.S. Presence in Japan Important: YOKOTA AIR BASE — Stationing U.S. forces in Japan is as important today as during the Cold War, the top U.S. military official in Japan says. Lt. Gen. Paul Hester, as commander of both U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force, oversees about 50,000 servicemembers in mainland Japan and Okinawa. He took command a year ago this month, in the wake of a historic support agreement between Japan and the United States, and on the edge of increasing public pressure to reduce Japan’s cash support for U.S. troops here. In a recent lengthy interview, Hester talked about why U.S. forces remain in Japan, the role of Japan’s cash support, technology’s influence on far-flung commands and being a commander in a politically sensitive age.