US navy's comic answer to nuclear warship fears

The US navy is pinning its hopes of winning support for the forthcoming deployment in Japan of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington on the fictional Japanese-American hero of a new comic about life as a US serviceman. The navy will distribute 26,000 copies of Manga CVN73, named after the George Washington's hull number, to children and young residents of Yokosuka, a US naval base south of Tokyo where the ship will be based from August. Other copies will be available in Akihabara, a district of Tokyo popular with comic enthusiasts, and a downloadable version will appear on the US navy's website. The navy hopes the 200-page book, with its wholly positive take on life in the services, will dampen opposition to the George Washington's deployment amid protests by Yokosuka residents. Though nuclear-powered US ships have made hundreds of visits to Japan over the past 25 years, the ship will be the first piece of nuclear military hardware to be permanently stationed there. Local residents have twice failed to persuade the Yokosuka assembly to hold a referendum on the George Washington's deployment, despite collecting 48,000 signatures in support. The ship will arrive in August as a replacement for the USS Kitty Hawk, the US navy's only conventionally powered carrier, which left Japan last month at the end of a 10-year mission. The 47-year-old vessel will be decommissioned next year. Opponents say the 102,000-tonne George Washington, the centerpiece of the US navy's 7th fleet, poses a threat to safety and the local fishing industry. Safety concerns grew after a fire broke out on the ship late last month, leaving two crew members with minor burns and another 23 needing treatment for heat stress. The commander of the US navy in Japan, Rear Admiral James Kelly, said the fire may delay the ship's deployment but dismissed concerns about its safety. "This is not something for the citizens of Yokosuka to worry about," he told reporters after the fire, adding that there was "nothing wrong with the nuclear power plant or major engineering systems". The comic, produced by two Japanese cartoonists commissioned by the navy, follows Jack Ohara, a third-class petty officer, as he overcomes seasickness and prepares for his first overseas mission - to Japan. In one scene he quickly puts out a fire that has broken out on board the ship. The comic praises the navy's professionalism and commitment to safety, and depicts US servicemen as ideal neighbors. In a foreword, Kelly describes the crew of the George Washington as "goodwill ambassadors." The description, however, may struggle to resonate in Japan, where US troops have been linked to a string of crimes in recent months, including the sexual abuse of a 14-year-old Japanese girl by a US marine in Okinawa and the alleged murder of a Yokosuka taxi driver by a deserter from the Kitty Hawk.