The American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan docked at its new home in Japan's Yokosuka naval port Thursday just as Tokyo tries to deepen defense ties with the US under new security laws that expand the role of Japan's military.
The warship received a warm welcome from Japanese officials because of its role in disaster relief following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster in northern Japan.
At a ceremony, US Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said the vessel's arrival and its welcome are "visible symbols of our shared commitment to one another and regional stability."
"Together we provide the most critical pillar of international security, one that only maritime services can deliver," he said.
Outside the port, however, a small group of citizens protested the aircraft carrier's deployment as a move to step up Japan's military cooperation with the US.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government has pushed to enhance the role of Japan's military in national defense and in global peacekeeping. It passed new laws during a chaotic parliamentary session last month that allow the country's troops to also defend their allies, mainly the US, overseas.
"... It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings."....I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"
Friday, October 2, 2015
THE USS RONALD REAGAN ON PORT IN JAPAN PREFECTURE YOKOSUKA NAVAL PORT–AS A CEREMONY TO WELCOME THE AIRCRAFT THIS OCTOBER REVEALS THE US SHIFT BACK TO ASIA - REPLACING THE USS GEORGE WASHINGTON WHO’S SLATED FOR A LONG OVERHAUL
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