USS George Washington sailors arrested for murder

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

USS George Washington sailors arrested for murder

Two sailors of the U.S. Navy, including one from the U.S. aircraft carrier George Washington, which is scheduled to be deployed to Yokosuka Port in Japan, have been arrested in connection with a recent incident in San Diego, California.

The two were reportedly arrested on August 19 on suspicion of murder and assault with a deadly weapon during a quarrel they had at a San Diego shop on August 16, in which one person was killed and another injured.

This is the second arrest in two months of sailors from the USS George Washington. In another case, the captain of this warship was dismissed just recently following a fire that broke out due to smoking in the aircraft carrier’s non-smoking area.

The George Washington was scheduled to leave San Diego on August 21 and arrive at Yokosuka in late September.

A group of Yokosuka residents who oppose the deployment of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier George Washington to Yokosuka as its homeport on August 20 demanded that the George Washington cancel its planned voyage.

In a published comment, the Yokosuka Citizens’ Association on the Issue of Homeporting of the Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier said: “Yokosuka citizens are shocked by the repeated crimes and irresponsible accidents involving sailors of the USS George Washington. We are concerned that the number of crimes may increase if more than 5,000 U.S. servicemen who have no experience with life in Japan are stationed at Yokosuka and that accidents caused by such human errors like the recent fire may occur again on the nuclear-powered vessel.”

The Kanagawa Council against A & H Bombs (Kanagawa Gensuikyo) also issued a statement, which said, “The dismissal of the captain is not enough to correct the George Washington’s lax crisis management and military discipline.” It demanded that the Japanese government, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Yokosuka City refuse to allow the planned deployment of the nuclear-powered vessel to Yokosuka.

- Akahata, August 21, 2008