Nuclear-powered carrier USS Ronald Reagan arrives in Japan

“Just just like a brand new automobile we’ve got the hottest and greatest, we’ve got Global Positioning System, we’ve got the back up mirror so we are able to see what’s behind us”, Captain Chris Bolt, the aircraft carrier’s commander, told a separate press briefing on the pier at Yokosuka naval base.

One of the U.S. Navy’s most advanced aircraft carriers docked in Japan on Thursday at the start of a deployment that will strengthen the capability of the Seventh Fleet in Asia and boost ties between the United States and its closest regional ally.

The warship’s arrival received a warm welcome from Japanese officials because of its role in disaster relief after the March 2011 quake and tsunami disaster as part of the U.S. government’s “Tomodachi”, or friends, project.

At a news conference at the quay, US Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus referred to the recent enactment of Japan’s national security legislation.

“Together we provide the most critical pillar of global security, one that only maritime services can deliver”, he said. It passed new laws during a chaotic parliamentary session last month that allow the country’s troops to also defend their allies, mainly the USA, overseas.

The Reagan was likely to be used to monitor the activities of North Korea and China in the region. The George Washington, which arrived in 2008, left in May for a multiyear overhaul in the US.

Similar protests occurred when Washington – the first nuclear carrier to be based in Japan – arrived in 2008.

During its relief work, the Ronald Reagan ferried food and water to the city of Sendai in disaster-hit northern Japan.

However, local residents expressed opposition against the arrival of the Ronald Reagan over its two nuclear reactors and possible disciplines violation by its servicemen.