YOKOSUKA (Japan), Sept 25: A giant US aircraft carrier docked here on Thursday to become the first US nuclear-powered vessel based overseas, setting off protests in the only nation to have suffered atomic attack.

The USS George Washington, which can carry more than 70 airplanes and 5,600 personnel, sailed into the naval hub of Yokosuka on Tokyo Bay on a sunny day as US troops at the dock waved flags and held red, white and blue balloons.

The 97,000-ton carrier replaced the diesel USS Kitty Hawk, which is being retired after 10 years in Yokosuka that included missions to fight in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

“The forces of freedom in the Pacific will have no more powerful ship to defend their interests than the USS George Washington right here in Yokosuka,” US ambassador Thomas Schieffer told thousands of assembled sailors.

Recalling World War II, Schieffer said that neither side could have imagined then that a US nuclear carrier would come “not to subjugate Japan, but to defend Japan”. Japan’s new conservative Prime Minister Taro Aso welcomed the aircraft carrier, saying that it would contribute to regional stability.

“There are difficult situations in the areas that surround us, including the Korean peninsula,” Aso told reporters in Tokyo. “From the viewpoint of the Japan-US security alliance, I think it is a good thing.”

But at a waterfront park, some 300 demonstrators raised their fists in the air as they saw the huge vessel cruising into Tokyo Bay.

“The USS George Washington, go home now!” the protesters shouted. Hundreds of more demonstrators rallied elsewhere.

“We regret that the aircraft carrier has arrived here, but the real crisis for the residents of Yokosuka has just begun,” said Masahiko Goto, a lawyer and leader of a local civil group opposing the vessel.

“If it were a nuclear energy plant, the central and local governments could check it thoroughly,” he said. “The US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is untouchable for us.”

Some activists have even urged residents to carry iodine syrup, which prevents cancer in people exposed to atomic radiation.

“I have to ask if the United States is really thinking about peace in Asia.

Aren’t they just looking at this city as one of their bases?” said Shingo

Fukuyama, leader of Japan Congress Against A- and H-Bombs. Yokosuka is 50 kilometres south of Tokyo. Anti-military activists say it is unprecedented for a nuclear-powered ship to be so close to densely populated areas.

Despite the strong sentiment against the nuclear-powered ship, many local residents also feel that they need the security pact with the US.

“We need at least one aircraft carrier here because we have some perplexing states nearby such as North Korea and China,” said Masaru Udaka, 81, who often visits a park near the US base.

“Otherwise we can’t protect our country.”

Japan has campaigned against nuclear weapons since US atomic bombs destroyed its cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II, killing more than 210,000 people.

Since its defeat, Japan has been officially pacifist and relied on a security alliance with the United States, which stations more than 40,000 troops in the country.

The US military argues the USS George Washington poses no risks to local residents, but concerns grew after a fire broke out on the vessel in May, injuring dozens of sailors.

The Pentagon also said last month that a nuclear-powered US submarine may have released a small amount of radiation during a visit this year near Nagasaki.

“The government of Japan will continue to do everything possible to ensure safety,” Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone said in a statement read out at the welcoming ceremony.

Relations have often been tense between US troops in Japan and residents, who accuse servicemen of causing noise and crime.

—AFP