Troops in Parts of Japan to Receive Hardship Pay

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 3, 2011 - Service members in certain prefectures of Japan will receive hardship duty pay effective April 1, Defense Department officials announced.

Service members will receive $50 hardship duty pay per month if they are based in the Tokyo Capital Region and the prefectures of Aichi, Kanagawa, Akita, Aomori, Chiba, Fukushima, Gunma, Ibaraki, Iwate, Miyagi, Nagano, Niigata, Saitama, Shizouka, Tochigi, Yamagata and Yamanashi.

"The designation is in recognition of the hardships caused by the March 11, 2011, earthquake, the tsunami that followed and issues related to Japan nuclear reactors," according to a letter signed by Lynn C. Simpson, acting principle deputy undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness. The letter went to the secretaries of the Army, Navy and Air Force and to the director of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service.

Service members who are permanently assigned to the designated locations are eligible for the pay. Service members who are on temporary duty to the specified prefectures in support of Operation Tomodachi for longer than 30 days also will receive the pay. Those aboard ship are not eligible.

The pay is additional compensation paid to service members in recognition of the hardships associated with duty assignments in designated locations.

Those eligible will receive the pay automatically. Service members do not need to apply.