 Sasebo mayor says he will reject homeporting of U.S. aircraft carrier at Sasebo Mayor Mitsutake Akira of Sasebo City in Nagasaki Prefecture has expressed his opposition to a plan to homeport a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier or station U.S. Marine Corps units at Sasebo Port. This was in answer to Japanese Communist Party representative Yamashita Chiaki in the city assembly on March 7. Regarding the ongoing U.S. military transformation, the Sasebo Chamber of Commerce and Industry proposed late last year that the city accept the U.S. Army First Corps Command, the homeporting of a nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier and submarines, and Okinawa-based U.S. Marines. Mitsutake stated, "The chamber's proposal allows the port to be used exclusively for military purposes and therefore contradicts my plan to draw a line between commercial use and military use. Asked by the JCP representative what his response will be if the central government formally discusses the plan with the city, the mayor answered, "I'm opposed to the homeporting of U.S. units or naval ships that will lead to the drastic reinforcement of the U.S. base." (end) |