Japan Press Weekly

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2026 September 9 - 15 [US FORCES]

Peace activists protest arrival of USS ‘Warrior’ at Hakodate Port

The Japanese Communist Party Hakodate City assemblymembers’ group and a peace group comprised of labor unions and democratic organizations in the city staged a protest against the arrival of the U.S. Navy minesweeper “Warrior” at Hakodate Port on September 9.

The USS Warrior entered the dock of a shipyard for maintenance, the only shipbuilder in Hokkaido responsible for repairing vessels belonging to the Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Japan Coast Guard. This marks the first time a U.S. warship will undergo maintenance in Hokkaido.

JCP Hakodate City assemblymember Tomiyama Etsuko noted that takeoff-and-landing training exercises by SDF fighter jets are planned at Hakodate Airport which is designated as a “specific use airport.” She expressed concern that the USS Warrior’s entry into Hakodate Port for repairs is also part of the government’s attempt to turn Japan into a “war-capable nation.”

The maintenance and repair of U.S. naval vessels at privately-owned Japanese shipyards and facilities is expanding, thereby drawing Japanese private companies into the U.S. military’s operational posture.

Past related article:
> Training exercises involving fighter jets may also take place at ‘specific-use airports’ [October 9, 2025]