According to a report by Japan’s Kyodo News Agency, a number of Japanese government officials revealed on the 5th that the British navy will send a long-term aircraft carrier strike group with the most sophisticated aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth as the core to the western Pacific Ocean, including Okinawa Prefecture and other South and Western islands at the beginning of next year.
According to the report, the British government is strongly concerned about the Hong Kong issue, and Japan is also interested in deepening its cooperation with Britain, which is among the best in the world in naval strength, and show its posture against China, which strengthens maritime activities and maintains order.
The report quoted relevant people as saying that the ships and aircraft of the “Queen Elizabeth” and the strike group are expected to carry out joint exercises with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military. The F-35 fighter is manufactured by Lockheed Martin in the United States. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Xiaomunan Factory is the F-35 maintenance base in the Asia-Pacific region, which can carry out regular inspections and other comprehensive maintenance once every year. Coordination is currently under way for the admission of British warplanes.
The report also mentioned that according to the United Nations Status of Military Agreement based on the relevant United Nations resolutions of the Korean War (1950-1953), the British army can receive supplies in U.S. military facilities and regions in Japan such as Yokosuka (Kanagawa), Sasebo (Nagasaki), Shiratan (Okinawa). The Maritime Self-Defense Forces seem to be cautious about active rear support to avoid excessive stimulation of China.
