May 30, 2008

Following the outbreak of a fire on the U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier George Washington, which is scheduled to be deployed to the U.S. Navy Yokosuka Base in Kanagawa Prefecture in August, representatives of peace and democratic organizations on May 29 visited the Foreign Ministry to demand that the government revoke the decision to accept the deployment.

Petitioners included representatives of the Japan Council against A and H Bombs (Gensuikyo) and the Task Force on the Campaign against Deployment of U.S. Nuclear-powered Aircraft Carrier to Yokosuka.

Arima Yutaka of the Foreign Ministry Japan-U.S. Security Treaty Division rejected the demand, saying, “(The U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier) constitutes one of the most significant deterrent powers supporting the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, the core of Japan’s peace and security.”

Concerning the fire that broke out on the aircraft carrier, Arima said, “The accident has no bearing on the safety of the carrier’s nuclear reactor.”

Although it took several hours to put the fire under control, Arima said it was just a “small fire.”

The petitioners pointed out that a U.S. Navy spokesman told CNN TV that the fire could be classified as “serious.”