Senior Japanese military officials were arranged to visit the British Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier exclusively, marking the beginning of the establishment of a permanent military presence in the region in response to China’s growing power.
On Monday, Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi and senior Japanese military commanders visited the aircraft carrier at a naval base near Tokyo.
“One of the purposes of this deployment is to show the beginning of the commitment,” Brigadier General Steve Moorhouse said in a briefing on the US$4.15 billion vessel. “The prominence of the region is rising significantly.”
Japan also plans to fly short take-off and vertical landing F-35Bs from two modified helicopter carriers. It is trying to expand security cooperation beyond its US allies in an attempt to help it control the Chinese influence that it considers threatening the region. Power, including Taiwan’s independence.
As the Chinese Navy expands and increasingly emphasizes its territorial claims, Japan is seeking to expand its military cooperation beyond its traditional alliance with the United States.
Before arriving in Yokosuka, Queen Elizabeth participated in joint exercises with warships from the United States, the Netherlands, Canada, and Japan. The exercise is part of an effort to realize the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” vision led by Washington and Tokyo.
The Queen Elizabeth was commissioned in 2017 and is the largest and most powerful warship in the UK. According to the Royal Navy, it can carry up to 40 aircraft, such as the F-35 stealth fighter.
Japan listed neighboring China as its main national security threat in a recent national defense strategy document, and stated that as China’s military activities around the island intensify, Japan has a “sense of crisis” towards Taiwan.
“The visit of the British aircraft carrier strike group is of great significance to maintaining and strengthening the free and open Indo-Pacific region,” Kishishin told reporters after visiting Queen Elizabeth.
China, which regards Taiwan as a separate province, says its intentions in the region are peaceful.
Docked in Yokosuka, where Washington’s only front-line aircraft carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan, is located. The Queen Elizabeth will also receive visits by executives from major Japanese companies because the UK after Brexit hopes to make a commercial deal. .
