Japan Press Weekly

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2008 August 27 - September 2 [US FORCES]

U.S. warship cancels visiting Tomakomai Port

It was learned on August 28 that the U.S. Navy missile frigate Ford cancelled its visit to Tomakomai Port in Hokkaido.

The U.S. Forces explained that the Ford’s diesel generator had broken down and needed to be fixed at Yokosuka Port.

In protest against the Tomakomai City mayor’s acceptance of Ford’s visit to the local port from August 30 to September 3, various peace and democratic organizations, including the Japanese Communist Party, carried out a number of actions to press the city that declared itself nuclear-free in 2003 to not allow warships to enter its commercial port.

Residents’ struggles against the entry of the U.S. missile-equipped frigate Blue Ridge into the local port in February 2002 led the city to establish the nuclear-free declaration in 2003, which has helped to prevent the port from being used for military purposes.

After the case of the Blue Ridge in 2002, it was the second time that the U.S. forces cancelled a warship’s visit to Tomakomai.