http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hq2AqrYT2m1lNwKwq38TtPih9ilAD90T8EN00
Japanese file appeal against US aircraft carrier
By YURI KAGEYAMA – 4 days ago
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese seeking to block a nuclear-powered U.S. warship from being permanently based in Japan took their lawsuit to a higher court Monday.
The latest move by the 248 plaintiffs follows the May 12 rejection by a district court of their lawsuit demanding a halt to harbor work to accommodate the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, which is scheduled to be based at Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, starting August.
The carrier, which is relieving the retiring diesel-powered USS Kitty Hawk, will be the first U.S. Navy nuclear-powered vessel to be permanently based in Japan.
The appeal filed with the Tokyo High Court on Monday points to a May 22 fire aboard the warship as adding to the anxiety people have about nuclear power aboard the military vessel, according to documents from the plaintiffs' attorneys.
In their initial lawsuit, the plaintiffs argued that the harbor work to accommodate the ship would spread pollution, kill fish and damage the livelihood of fishermen. They said the warship could also leak radiation if there was an accident.
The USS George Washington's expected arrival has set off protests among many residents in the area.
Many in Japan, the only country to be attacked by nuclear weapons, are sensitive about any military use of nuclear technology. Some Japanese, especially the older generation, are outspoken pacifists and nervousness about the U.S. military presence in Japan is widespread.
The deployment of the USS George Washington is part of a security alliance that Japan has with the U.S., now its close ally.
Nuclear-powered warships have visited Japanese ports hundreds of times since 1964 and the U.S. government insists they are safe.
The move is part of the U.S. military's effort to modernize its forces in Asia, a region of potential flash points with North Korea and China.
The safety concerns about the USS George Washington were rekindled by this month's blaze, which the Navy said left one sailor with minor burns and 23 others with heat stress.
The Navy is investigating the cause of the fire, which it says started near an auxiliary boiler room and never threatened the safety of the ship's nuclear reactor.
The appeal from the Japanese plaintiffs is demanding a more thorough disclosure of information about the fire. It says the city was not notified about the blaze until more than a day later, and says a blaze starting near a boiler room raised serious safety questions.