Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2015 May 13 - 19 [US FORCES]

Goodbye forever USS George Washington! Don’t come here, USS Ronald Reagan!

The U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier George Washington deployed at the U.S. Yokosuka Naval Base left Yokosuka Port on May 18 after completing its seven-year deployment to Japan. The USS Ronald Reagan will replace the outgoing vessel and will enter Yokosuka in late fall.

The Kanagawa prefectural committee of the Japanese Communist Party on the same day issued a statement opposing the deployment of another aircraft carrier to Japan, expressing its determination to continue struggling to end the use of Yokosuka as a USS homeport.

The risk of nuclear accidents, possible carrier-borne aircraft crashes, the roaring noise pollution, and frequent accidents and crimes involving U.S. sailors have been adversely affecting the lives of about 30 million people living in the capital sphere, the JCP Kanagawa statement points out.

It warns that the deployment of the USS Ronald Reagan will lead to perpetuating base burdens on Yokosuka citizens and will only help raise tensions in the East Asian region.

Before leaving Japan, USS GW Captain Timothy Kuehhas told Japanese media corps that 2,000 out of 3,500 GW crewmembers will transfer to the USS RR at San Diego this summer.

* * *

The U.S. began using Yokosuka Port as its main overseas aircraft carrier base in 1973. The USS GW has been home-ported there since September 2008. Many local residents have always been worried about the possibility of nuclear-leakage accidents as the GW is powered by two nuclear reactors. The U.S. has repeatedly transported radioactive waste out of the warship at the base in violation of the so-called 1964 aide-memoir in which both Japan and the U.S. agreed to not unload radioactive waste outside the U.S. homeland.

Past related articles:
> Transfer of radioactive wastes from US nuclear-powered vessel violates aide-memoir [May 23&24, 2013]
> U.S. forces removed radioactive waste from nuclear-powered warship in violation of agreement [April 2, 2009]
> Stop U.S. nuclear aircraft carrier from being deployed to Yokosuka [April 12, 2008]
> U.S. aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk leaves Yokosuka to be replaced by N-powered carrier[May 29, 2008]