The basing of a US nuclear-powered warship in Japanese waters for the first time will boost stability in East Asia, Japan's government said yesterday, hailing an agreement even as it drew protests from the community that will host the aircraft carrier.
The US Navy on Thursday announced the deal, under which Japan dropped its longtime opposition to hosting a nuclear-powered warship in its territory.
"Japan believes that the continued presence of the US Navy will contribute to safety and stability in Japan, the Far East and the world," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said yesterday.
He said the agreement would not threaten the safety of Japanese residents, who have long been wary of a US nuclear presence because of fears of radiation leaks.
"The US side has told us that it will continue taking strict safety measures," he said, adding that the carrier -- which has not been named -- will stop its nuclear reactor while anchored in Japan and conduct no repairs of the reactor there.
The US decided to deploy a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered carrier in Japan because it has far greater capabilities than traditional warships, US ambassador Thomas Schieffer said yesterday at a news conference.
Schieffer said that Washington took into account the reluctance of the Japanese to host a nuclear-powered ship, but such ships are faster and more nimble than fossil-fuel powered ships.
"We want to assure all concerned that this carrier can and will be operated safely in Japanese waters," he said at the US embassy, adding that nuclear-powered ships had made 1,200 visits to Japan over the past 40 years without harming the environment.
The plan immediately met with opposition from local officials south of Tokyo near the city of Yokosuka, the home to the US Seventh Fleet and the future base of the new warship.
"No safety tests can be conducted on nuclear-powered ships because Japanese law does not apply, and there is a great risk in the crowded area," said Shigefumi Matsuzawa, the governor of Kanagawa Prefecture, where the new warship will be based.
Matsuzawa said he would urge the US and Japanese governments to reconsider the plan.
The nuclear-powered carrier would replace the USS Kitty Hawk, a diesel-powered carrier based in Yokosuka.
The Kitty Hawk, commissioned in 1961, is the Navy's oldest ship in full active service and the only US aircraft carrier deployed abroad permanently. The new carrier would arrive in Japan in 2008, when the Kitty Hawk is scheduled to return to the US and be decommissioned.
The US Navy said the switch would boost the US military posture in the region.
"Nimitz-class aircraft carriers are far more capable than fossil fuel carriers ... possess superior endurance and sustained speed and can respond more quickly to any crisis," said Rear Admiral James Kelly, commander of US Navy Forces Japan.
The announcement came as the US and Japan are working out a plan for a realignment of the 50,000 American troops based in Japan -- a presence that has spurred protests over the years by residents angered by the bases.
Earlier this week the two sides struck a deal to close down a Marine Corps air station in Okinawa and transfer its functions to an existing base on the southern island, Camp Schwab. That plan, which calls for the building of a new heliport, was also running into opposition by some residents who are against any fresh military construction.
The two sides are meeting for high-level talks in Washington today to announce an interim plan for realignment. Schieffer yesterday said that the final plan would call for the reduction of US troops in Japan, but he did not elaborate.
RESILIENCE: Deepening bilateral cooperation would extend the peace sustained over the 45 years since the Taiwan Relations Act, Greene said Taiwan-US relations are built on deep economic ties and shared values, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene said yesterday, adding that strengthening supply chain security in critical industries, enhancing societal resilience through cooperation and deepening partnerships are key to ensuring peace and stability for Taiwan in the years ahead. Greene made the remarks at the National Security Youth Forum, organized by National Taiwan University’s National Security and Strategy Studies Institution in Taipei. In his address in Mandarin Chinese, Greene said the Taiwan-US relationship is built on deep economic ties and shared interests, and grows stronger through the enduring friendship between
GAINING STEAM: The scheme initially failed to gather much attention, with only 188 cards issued in its first year, but gained popularity amid the COVID-19 pandemic Applications for the Employment Gold Card have increased in the past few years, with the card having been issued to a total of 13,191 people from 101 countries since its introduction in 2018, the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday. Those who have received the card have included celebrities, such as former NBA star Dwight Howard and Australian-South Korean cheerleader Dahye Lee, the NDC said. The four-in-one Employment Gold Card combines a work permit, resident visa, Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) and re-entry permit. It was first introduced in February 2018 through the Act Governing Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及雇用法),
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday said that it would redesign the written portion of the driver’s license exam to make it more rigorous. “We hope that the exam can assess drivers’ understanding of traffic rules, particularly those who take the driver’s license test for the first time. In the past, drivers only needed to cram a book of test questions to pass the written exam,” Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) told a news conference at the Taoyuan Motor Vehicle Office. “In the future, they would not be able to pass the test unless they study traffic regulations
‘COMING MENACINGLY’: The CDC advised wearing a mask when visiting hospitals or long-term care centers, on public transportation and in crowded indoor venues Hospital visits for COVID-19 last week increased by 113 percent to 41,402, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, as it encouraged people to wear a mask in three public settings to prevent infection. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said weekly hospital visits for COVID-19 have been increasing for seven consecutive weeks, and 102 severe COVID-19 cases and 19 deaths were confirmed last week, both the highest weekly numbers this year. CDC physician Lee Tsung-han (李宗翰) said the youngest person hospitalized due to the disease this year was reported last week, a one-month-old baby, who does not