After seeing off the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk this week, Yokosuka now has to brace for the arrival of its replacement — the first nuclear-powered U.S. vessel to be based in Japan.
Mayor Ryoichi Kabaya basically supports the forward-deployment of the 102,000-ton George Washington. But the recent fire on the vessel that hurt two sailors has heightened safety concerns among residents of the Kanagawa Prefecture city.
"I regret that the incident took place at a very bad time," Senior Vice Foreign Minister Hitoshi Kimura said.