U.S. Carrier Expected to Make Port Call in Yokosuka, First in 4 Years
A U.S. Navy aircraft carrier is expected to make a port call in Yokosuka, Japan, for the first time in four years. Yokosuka Mayor Katsuaki Kamiji and other city officials were informed Wednesday that a U.S. nuclear powered aircraft carrier may visit the city, according to a news release from the Yokosuka City Council. The carrier was not identified in the release, nor were the dates of the port call disclosed. “While details such as the name of the U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the specific timing of the port call, and the duration of the stay involve U.S. military operations
Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) arrives at Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) on May 21, 2022, for a scheduled port visit. US Navy photo A U.S. Navy aircraft carrier is expected to make a port call in Yokosuka, Japan, for the first time in four years.
Yokosuka Mayor Katsuaki Kamiji and other city officials were informed Wednesday that a U.S. nuclear powered aircraft carrier may visit the city, according to a news release from the Yokosuka City Council. The carrier was not identified in the release, nor were the dates of the port call disclosed.
“While details such as the name of the U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the specific timing of the port call, and the duration of the stay involve U.S. military operations and are unknown to us at this time, we are scheduled to receive notification from the U.S. side 24 hours prior to the nuclear-powered vessel’s arrival in Japan,” reads the release.
The visit will be the first time a carrier that is not forward deployed to Japan has pulled into the port in four years, with the last visit being May 21-26, 2022.
The U.S. Navy has been forced to re-evaluate its logistics chains for warships since the Iranian bombardment of U.S. 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain earlier this year. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle said in August that the Navy is considering ports in Africa, India and Singapore so sailors can take a rest while out for extended deployments.
The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, which is due to return home to San Diego on Thursday, went 265 days before making a port call in Laem Chabang, Thailand. USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) arrived Sunday in Phuket, Thailand, after about five months operating in the Middle East. The carrier is expected to return to the Middle East in the coming days.
USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) and its strike group are in the Pacific Ocean, underway for what will likely be an extended Middle East deployment. The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group is expected to move to U.S. Central Command to relieve the Japan-based USS George Washington (CVN-73), which entered U.S. 5th Fleet in mid-August. West Coast-based strike groups have been diverted from their traditional Indo-Pacific deployments to the Middle East in recent years amid tensions with Iran and the Yemen-based Houthis.
The carrier is expected to pull into Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka. The sailors would be allowed to leave the installation for shore leave during the port call, according to the Yokosuka City Council release. The Yokosuka mayor has asked the Foreign Ministry to convey to the U.S. the importance of ensuring that crew members conduct themselves in an appropriate and responsible manner.
The potential visit comes on the heels of the arrest of an Okinawa-based U.S. Marine accused in the robbery and death of a woman in Naha, Japan. The incident has sparked outrage among Japanese government officials and the public.
On Wednesday, Japan Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara held a meeting with Okinawa Governor Genta Koja. Koja recently defeated incumbent Denny Tamaki, who long opposed the U.S. presence in Okinawa. Koja, who was endorsed by Takaichi’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party in the election, was expected to smooth Tokyo’s relationship with the island on the U.S. military presence.
“Okinawa Prefecture has repeatedly and strongly demanded that the U.S. military and others enforce strict discipline, prevent recurrences and thoroughly implement education every time such incidents or accidents occur. Nevertheless, the fact that an incident like this has happened again leaves us no choice but to say that the U.S. military’s disciplinary enforcement, human rights education and the like are not functioning at all,” Koja said in an X post.
Takaichi, in a statement on her X account, said she had explained to Koja that the government has strongly protested to the U.S., while firmly demanding their full cooperation in the investigation, strict discipline among U.S. military personnel, thorough prevention of recurrence and appropriate support for the victim’s bereaved family.
As a result, the III Marine Expeditionary Force announced Tuesday that all service members in Okinawa will undergo an operational pause, during which off-base liberty is prohibited and alcohol is banned on and off-base. During the pause, commanders and senior enlisted leaders will lead training on standards, discipline and being part of the Okinawa community.
