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.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique