Daily rates at Defense Department hotels in Japan, including Yokosuka Naval Base’s Navy Lodge, seen here on Jan. 28, 2026, have dropped following a price hike in late 2025. (Jonathan Baez/Stars and Stripes)
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Defense Department travelers headed to Japan can breathe easier now that on-base lodging in the region is returning to relatively normal prices following a rate hike last year.
The cost of an overnight stay at an on-base hotel skyrocketed in October — in some instances rising nearly 75% — after the Defense Travel Management Office on Sept. 25 raised the maximum per diem rates for lodging at more than a dozen locations in Japan to $218.
Per diem rates for Japan as a whole range from $113 to $448 as of Jan. 1, according to the office’s website. Rates are updated monthly or as necessary.
While the maximum per diem rate remains the same for most locations, pricing at various base hotels has since dropped to pre-October prices.
At Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo, a standard room at the Kanto Lodge has fallen to $98 from $171 in October. The Misawa Inn at Misawa Air Base in northeastern Japan saw a similar decrease, dropping from $171 to $104.
DOD lodging facilities at Yokosuka, Sasebo and Okinawa were all $125 per night, a slight increase over rates around $91 in October, according to the DOD Lodging website.
Room rates are established at the “minimum amount necessary” to cover the cost of maintaining lodging facilities, with consideration given to local market conditions and operation costs, according to the DOD’s lodging policy.
Lodging rates for those traveling on official duty cannot exceed local per diem rates, but those traveling for leisure may face higher prices, according to the policy.
