Japan Press Weekly

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2009 April 15 - 21 [US FORCES]

Peace activists demand that Yokosuka mayor revoke acceptance of U.S. N-carrier’s homeporting at Yokosuka

Following the revelation that facilities were built at the U.S. Yokosuka Naval Base in order to repair nuclear reactors on a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, peace organizations in Yokosuka City and Kanagawa Prefecture made representations of protest to Mayor Kabaya Ryoichi of Yokosuka City.

On April 14, they requested that the mayor revoke his decision to allow the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier George Washington to be homeported at Yokosuka.

Visitors to the city office included members of the Kanagawa Ad-hoc Committee to Halt the Nuclear-powered Aircraft Carrier’s Homeporting, the Miura Peninsula Liaison Council, the Peace Committee, and the Council against A and H Bombs (Gensuikyo) in Kanagawa and Yokosuka.

The construction of repair facilities for nuclear reactors was referred to in a testimony by the commander-in-chief of the U.S. Pacific Command at the March 19 U.S. House Subcommittee hearing.

It has also been revealed that at the end of March, radioactive waste from maintenance work on the GW’s nuclear reactors were shipped to the U.S.

Nagasawa Takeo, the Kanagawa Gensuikyo secretary, requested that Yokosuka City inquire into the testimony at the U.S. House of Representatives on the “Controlled Industrial Facility (CIF)” among other topics and make the information available to Yokosuka citizens.

Maintaining that citizens cannot co-exist with the possible danger of radioactive accidents on the GW, he urged the city to withdraw its decision to accept the nuclear-carrier’s homeporting at Yokosuka.

The city’s section chief in charge of U.S. military base affairs said that the city has requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to make inquiries into the testimony.