Japan and the United States are considering allowing U.S. Navy warships to undergo extensive repairs at private shipyards, enabling the ships to stay longer in Japanese waters without returning home for maintenance, government sources said Friday.

The issue is expected to be discussed when Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida travels to the United States to meet President Joe Biden in April, according to the sources. Such a deal is expected to improve the efficiency of U.S. military operations based in Japan amid China's growing military assertiveness in the region.

So far, Japanese private companies have been engaging in the repair work of U.S. military vessels that do not directly engage in combat, such as transport ships, according to a Japanese Defense Ministry source.

But the new arrangement is expected to expand the range of ships Japanese companies can handle by including vessels such as destroyers, and enable them to carry out full-fledged repair and maintenance work.

Ships belonging to the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet would be subject to the plan, the government sources said. The fleet, headquartered in Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, operates in regions such as the East and South China seas, where Beijing has made extensive territorial claims.

By conducting maintenance in Japan, the ships would no longer have to return to the U.S. mainland for major repairs, allowing the key security ally to reduce costs and shorten the period the ships are not operating.

The U.S. ships staying longer in Japan will also mean more chances of joint drills by the U.S. Navy and Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force, according to the sources.

The Japanese government also expects that taking on repair work at domestic shipyards will have a positive effect on the economy, but it could also trigger concerns in the United States about job displacement.

Details will be discussed between Japan and U.S. defense authorities.

The closer defense collaboration between the United States and Japan may, however, raise tensions with China, as well as North Korea, which has been pushing its ballistic missile and nuclear development programs.

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