The U.S. Navy said Friday its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier the George Washington will be deployed for the second time to Yokosuka Naval Base near Tokyo in the latter half of 2024, replacing fellow Nimitz-class vessel the Ronald Reagan.
The replacement of the Ronald Reagan, currently stationed at the base, is taking place because overseas deployments of naval ships are limited to 10 years under U.S. law.
The George Washington was deployed to the base in Kanagawa Prefecture from 2008 to 2015, in what was the first permanent deployment of a nuclear-powered carrier at a Japanese port.
The Ronald Reagan, stationed at the base since 2015, will end its service in the spring of next year and relocate to Washington state, according to the Navy.
In recent years, the Ronald Reagan has taken part in drills with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the South Korean military amid heightened tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, due to North Korea conducting a series of missile tests and China becoming increasingly militarily assertive in the area.
Yokosuka Mayor Katsuaki Kamiji was briefed Friday by a Japanese Foreign Ministry official about the plans to switch the U.S. carriers.
Kamiji said that "it is important to maintain the Navy's presence for Japan's peace and regional stability," while also calling for high safety standards in operating nuclear-powered vessels.
Masahiko Goto, a lawyer who has long been tackling issues related to U.S. military bases in Japan, released a statement expressing strong opposition to the permanent deployment of U.S. carriers to Yokosuka.
