Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada has inspected some of the country's naval hardware in the southwestern port city of Yokosuka, while pledging to bolster the Japan-U.S. alliance. She made the inspection before boarding the U.S. aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan.

Meanwhile, Japan's Kyodo News agency has reported that the US plans to deploy 16 stealth F-35 fighters to a US military base in western Japan next year. The Japanese government has informed officials in the city of Iwakuni in Yamaguchi prefecture, where the air base is located. It would be the first time that the U.S. has stationed stealth aircraft overseas.