U.S. nuclear submarines made 53 calls at Japanese ports in 2002

In 2002, ten U.S. nuclear submarines, all Los Angeles-class attack submarines, visited Japanese ports 53 times, 9 times more than the previous year.

According to the U.S. Pacific Fleet Submarine Force, four out of these ten submarines were assigned to support what the United States calls "anti-terrorism war."

The Stars and Stripes of November 20, 2002 reported that nuclear submarines in the anti-terrorism war use cruise missiles to attack targets on the ground, transport special troops, gather information, and carry out surveillance and reconnaissance activities.

The Japanese government, since the 9/11 terrorist attacks two years ago, has stopped releasing advance information on the entry into Japanese ports of U.S. nuclear submarines.

Last September, Japan's Foreign Minister Kawaguchi Yoriko, for supposed security reasons, rejected a request by the mayors of Yokosuka (Kanagawa Pref.) and Sasebo (Nagasaki Pref.) to make public the advance U.S. notification of U.S. warships' entry into their ports.

The Katsuren Town Assembly (Okinawa Pref.) last September adopted a resolution in protest against the entry into the U.S. White Beach Naval Facility of U.S. nuclear-submarines. The resolution criticized the frequent port calls that completely disregard the assembly's declaration of establishing a nuclear-free town. (end)