TOKYO, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- Japan has agreed to allow the United States to station a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier at its Yokosuka Naval Base, starting in 2008.
The warship will replace the conventional aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk, which will retire in that year.
The Japanese government welcomed the U.S. Navy's plan, saying the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier would contribute to the security of Japan, the Asahi Shimbun reported Friday.
"We think that the maintenance of the U.S. Navy's presence around Japan will contribute to Japan's peace and security," Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said in Tokyo Friday. "The Japanese government appreciates the plan."
However, Yokosuka Mayor Ryoichi Kabaya questioned the government's decision. "The fact that the announcement was made without any prior word makes us wonder if the feelings of our city were taken into account," he said.
"Anxieties that residents of the city and Japanese as a whole have toward anything nuclear remain strong, which we have emphasized to both governments," Kabaya added.
According to the U.S. Navy's announcement, the Kitty Hawk's replacement will be one of its nine Nimitz-class aircraft carriers.
