The U.S. Navy said Wednesday it will substitute its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier at the Yokosuka Naval Base, the USS George Washington, with another in the same class, the Ronald Reagan.
The navy said it will announce the specific timing of the ships' movements at a later date.
The George Washington was forward-deployed to Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in 2008 as the navy's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to be based overseas. The ship needs replenishment of its fuel every 25 years, which will be carried out in Virginia, the navy said.
The Reagan entered service in 2003 and took part in Operation Tomodachi, the U.S. relief mission following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in the Tohoku region.
After the operation, some U.S. sailors, including Ronald Reagan crew members, filed lawsuits against Tokyo Electric Power Co. over the exposure to radioactive fallout they allegedly suffered due to the meltdowns at Tepco's Fukushima No. 1 atomic plant.