US aircraft carrier USS George Washington to return to Japan in 2024

By Ahmet Furkan Mercan

TOKYO (AA) - The US Navy has announced in a statement that the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington, will be deployed to Japan for a second time in 2024.

Late Saturday, the navy announced that the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, moored at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, will return to the US in the spring of 2024, while the USS George Washington aircraft carrier, previously deployed in Japan, will return to Yokosuka in the second half of 2024, the navy also said.

The USS George Washington was first deployed to Japan in 2008-2015 -- the first deployment of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to a Japanese port.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry announced that it has informed Yokosuka Mayor Kamiji Katsuaki about the reshuffle of the US aircraft carriers.

Kamiji said in a statement that "the continued presence of the US Navy is important for Japan's peace and regional stability."

The city of Yokosuka is located in Kanagawa Prefecture, east of the capital Tokyo.

US aircraft carriers in the region take part in joint exercises organized in cooperation with Japan's Self-Defense Forces and the South Korean army.