Japan Press Weekly

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2008 July 2 - 8 [US FORCES]

Peace organizations demand details of fire on U.S. nuclear powered aircraft carrier be disclosed

As the U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier George Washington is about to be deployed to the U.S. Yokosuka Naval Base to the south of Tokyo, peace organizations and trade unions demanded that the deployment be cancelled and requested the government to investigate the cause of the fire on the ship in May and disclose details of the incident.

The Organizing Committee for the “July 13 Rally against Deployment of the USS George Washington” which includes the Central Action Committee against the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty (Anpo-Haki) and the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren), made representations to the Foreign Ministry on July 1.

A Foreign Ministry official told the petitioners that the government has no intention to withdraw the “plan to deploy the George Washington, which constitutes an important deterrent.”

He said that U.S. forces are investigating the cause of the fire and that “the ministry will trust their findings.”

Committee members asked, “How can the government accept the U.S. report without condition? The Japanese government should check the accuracy of the details of the findings on its own.”

The Foreign Ministry official, however, made it clear that it will not verify the findings on the grounds that “the U.S. report will be trustworthy.”