Stability in East Asia strengthened by nuclear agreement with U.S., Japan says

Japan said Friday that stability in East Asia will be strengthened by an agreement with Washington to let the U.S. Navy station a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in Japan's waters for the first time. The U.S. Navy on Thursday announced the deal, which comes 60 years after the United States dropped two nuclear bombs on Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in World War II to force the Japanese Empire to surrender.

"Japan believes that the continued presence of the U.S. Navy ... will contribute to Japan's safety and ... stability in the Far East," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said Friday.

He said the agreement would not threaten the safety of Japanese residents, who have long been wary of a U.S. nuclear presence because of radiation leaks, reports the AP. I.L.