EXCLUSIVE: Japan, U.S. Leaders May Tour U.S. Aircraft Carrier

Tokyo, Oct. 11 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese and U.S. governments are arranging for their leaders to visit a U.S. military base in Japan to tour the U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington, Jiji Press learned Saturday. According to Japanese government sources, the two sides plan to have their leaders visit the U.S. Navy’s Yokosuka base in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, during U.S. President Donald Trump’s upcoming trip to the Asian nation later this month. At the base, the two leaders are expected to offer words of encouragement mainly to U.S. military personnel stationed in Japan, as part of moves to highlight a Japan-U.S. unity, the sources said. Trump is expected to be accompanied by the new Japanese prime minister who will be elected by parliament during an extraordinary session to be convened as early as Oct. 20. The U.S. president is set to visit Japan for three days from Oct. 27 after attending a series of summits related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Malaysia. A Japan-U.S. summit will likely be held on Oct. 28. Trump’s trip to Japan will be the first since his second administration was launched in January. During his previous visit to the Asian nation as president in 2019, Trump, together with then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, toured the Izumo-class destroyer Kaga at the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Yokosuka base also in Kanagawa and gave words of encouragement to members of the SDF and the U.S. military. In 2008, the George Washington became the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier deployed to Yokosuka. The vessel was temporarily replaced by the USS Ronald Reagan for an overhaul and made a comeback to Yokosuka in 2024. The George Washington mainly serves CMV-22 Osprey transport aircraft and F-35C state-of-the-art stealth fighters. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]