U.S. President Donald Trump has asked Japan to quadruple its payments for U.S. forces stationed there, Foreign Policy reported, citing unnamed current and former U.S. officials, as Washington presses long-standing allies to increase their defense spending.

Washington wants Tokyo to increase annual payments for the 54,000 U.S. troops in Japan to around eight billion U.S. dollars from about two billion U.S. dollars, Foreign Policy said, citing three unnamed former defense officials. The current agreement expires in March 2021.

The demand was made to Japanese officials during a trip to the region in July by John Bolton, at that time Trump's national security adviser, and Matt Pottinger, who was then the Asia director for the National Security Council.

A spokesman for the Japanese foreign ministry said the report by the U.S. global affairs publication is incorrect and no U.S.-Japan negotiations on a new agreement have taken place.

Representatives of the U.S. government were not immediately available to comment.

Many U.S. allies are coming under pressure on defense spending from Washington.

A day earlier, U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper also asked South Korea to pay more for the cost of stationing U.S. troops in the country and to maintain an intelligence-sharing pact with Japan that Seoul is about to let lapse.

South Korea, Esper said, "is a wealthy country and could and should pay more" for the U.S. military deployment.

"It is crucial that we conclude the (defense pact) ... with increased burden-sharing by the Republic of Korea before the end of the year," Esper told a news conference.

Trump has also insisted Seoul shoulder more of the cost of the U.S. military presence in South Korea, where it serves as deterrence against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and has floated the idea of pulling U.S. troops from the peninsula.

(Input from Reuters)