Japan Press Weekly

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2008 September 10 - 16 [US FORCES]

USS George Washington will come Yokosuka at the end of September

The U.S. Navy on September 12 announced that the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier George Washington, successor to the conventional aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk, will reach the U.S. Yokosuka Naval Base in Kanagawa Prefecture at the end of September.

It will be the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to be deployed to Japan.

Initially, the George Washington was scheduled to arrive at Yokosuka in mid-August, but was delayed because it had to undergo repair until late August after a smoking-induced massive fire that occurred in the vessel in May.

Goto Masahiko, co-representative of a Yokosuka residents’ group against the deployment of the U.S. nuclear warship said, “With neither disclosure of information nor explanation to the residents about the fire, it is absolutely unacceptable for the U.S. Navy to forcibly continue with the deployment plan.”

Local peace organizations, including the Kanagawa Council against A & H Bombs (Kanagawa Gensuikyo), on the same day visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to demand that the government urge the United States to cancel the plan to deploy the George Washington to Yokosuka Port.

The George Washington participated in both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars in 2004.