[Pool photo/Kyodo]

Abe, Trump inspect Japan destroyer in show of deepening alliance

TOKYO - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump inspected the helicopter-carrying destroyer Kaga at the Maritime Self-Defense Force base in Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, on Tuesday, the final day of Trump's four-day state visit to Japan.
In a demonstration of the expanding Japan-U.S. alliance, it will be the first time a U.S. president has stepped aboard a Self-Defense Forces ship, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry.

Japan plans to convert the Kaga into a carrier able to deploy fighter jets in response to the rise of China and its growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.

After inspecting the vessel, Trump will address troops in a visit to the Wasp, the Navy's amphibious assault ship docked at the U.S. Yokosuka naval base, located next to the MSDF base, according to the White House.

He will underscore the strength of the bilateral alliance, the significance of the relationship's ability to provide a deterrent to aggression in the Indo-Pacific region and highlight the regional and global nature of the Japan-U.S. partnership, a senior Trump administration official said.

Trump and U.S. first lady Melania Trump will head back to Washington in the afternoon.

On Monday, the couple, the first state guests in Japan's new imperial era of Reiwa, which started May 1, met with Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako.

Source: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20190528/p2g/00m/0na/023000c