The British aircraft carrier "Prince of Wales" slowly stopped at the Tokyo International Cruise Terminal in Tokyo's Jiangdong District on the afternoon of August 28.
This is the first time a British aircraft carrier has made a stopover in Tokyo, and it is also the second time a British warship has visited Tokyo after about 12 years since the British destroyer "Brave" docked at Tokyo's Sunny Sea Pier.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy Marine Corps announced the “unlimited deployment” of the MQ-9 “Death” drone at the Okinawa Karana base, completing the first-line deployment of the U.S. Maritime Air Force in Japan.
British aircraft carrier’s Asia-Pacific ambitions
The visit to Japan by the British Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales is part of the British "Operation Highmast". The deployment plan lasts for eight months and has a total sailing distance of more than 48,000 kilometers.
British Defense Secretary Healy made it clear: "British defense policy shows that this is the real intention of'putting NATO first, but not only relying on NATO '."
The Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier 2 can be a huge sea, total length of 284 meters, maximum width of 73 meters, drainage capacity of about 65,000 tons, can carry 36 F-35B invisible fighters and 4 helicopters.
Britain's move aims to get a wave of presence by deploying aircraft carriers in the Asia-Pacific region, telling everyone "I have influence here."However, ambitious plans quickly encountered real challenges.
An F-35B fighter aircraft has landed in Japan due to a “technical failure” and until August 29, the fighter aircraft was still stuck in Japan, and engineers were dedicated to repair.
This is not the first time the F-35B has fallen off the chain in the UK, before it also hit India for an emergency landing, a halt of more than a month.
Before the U.S. Navy deployed the MQ-9 “Death God” drone, the U.S. Air Force had already begun “unlimited deployment” of the MQ-9 drone at the Cartagena base in November 2023.
The MQ-4C is a naval version of the US military's Global Hawk unmanned strategic reconnaissance aircraft. It can fly continuously at an altitude of 18,000 kilometers for 42 hours, with a total range of 26,000 kilometers.
Compared with the MQ-9 drone, the MQ-4C has a longer battery life, more complete reconnaissance equipment, and a higher altitude, making it less susceptible to severe weather.
The United States is doing this because it obviously wants to strengthen its surveillance of the Asia-Pacific waters, and it will be more convenient to intervene in the Asia-Pacific affairs in the future, this will definitely add to regional stability.
However, the "God of Death" drone was not so divine. In the past two years, when it was fighting against the Houthi armed forces, it was almost 20 aircraft, and the cost of each aircraft was 32 million US dollars.
Japan's changing attitude towards Russia
While the United States and the United Kingdom continue to move, Japan's attitude towards Russia has undergone subtle changes. Japan's "Mainichi Shimbun" recently published an article expressing this view:Japan cannot afford to break off diplomatic relations with Russia and has to maintain bilateral relations with Russia。
The newspaper reported: "Russia was and is our neighbor. Japan simply cannot sever relations with it." The author believes that the two countries need to establish a relationship that can discuss issues crucial to Japan such as Russian gas imports and fishery negotiations.
This change in attitude is in sharp contrast to Russia’s position.In June this year, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko, during a meeting with Japan’s ambassador to Russia, said that the level of relations between the two countries was unprecedentedly low.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry,Only Tokyo’s refusal to take a policy of hostility to Russia due to the situation in Ukraine will help restart the dialogue.。
Japan's strategic situation is very delicate. On the one hand, it strengthens military cooperation with the United States, Britain and other countries, while on the other hand, it attempts to maintain a relationship with Russia that is at least not completely hostile. This kind of balanced diplomacy reflects Japan's realistic considerations in the geopolitical game.
Japan has followed the United States to impose sanctions on Russia. Now, if it wants to turn around and make peace, it has to show sincerity, such as lifting sanctions and making concessions. Otherwise, Russia will definitely not buy it just by lip service.
There is still a territorial dispute between Russia and Japan and the historical legacy is not resolved. Russia has no intention of transferring its territory, and Tokyo has always been unable to understand this.
On August 5, the Japanese government announced that it would jointly conduct military exercises with the United States, Britain, Australia, Spain and Norway, scheduled to take place from August 4 to 12.
In order to improve the effectiveness of the exercise, Japan specially dispatched the aircraft carrier USS Kaga to participate, and the British Navy also dispatched the aircraft carrier USS Prince of Wales.
The future of the Asia Pacific region
The Asia-Pacific region is becoming the focus area of the game of great powers.The British aircraft carrier deployment in the Asia-Pacific, the U.S. increased the deployment of drones, and Japan's adjustment of policy towards Russia, these moves are changing the regional strategic balance.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular press conference on August 29:"Asia-Pacific is a highland for cooperation and development, not a chess game of geopolitical game"。
Peaceful development and win-win cooperation are the common aspirations of the people in the region. It is hoped that relevant countries will work with regional countries to do more things that are truly conducive to enhancing mutual trust and cooperation and promoting peace and stability.
The LDP government is trying to balance China and the US while improving relations with Russia to ease energy security and geopolitical pressures, but the art of balancing is being challenged.
There is limited room for adjustment of Japan's Russia policy. Russia has made it clear that relations between the two countries can only improve if Japan lifts the sanctions imposed on Russia due to the Ukrainian crisis.
After the British aircraft carrier leaves, U.S. drones will continue to stay at Okinawa’s Cartagena base. The MQ-9 “Death” drone has a range of up to 1852 kilometers and can cover critical waters.
Whether Japan's ambiguous attitude toward Russia can be exchanged for actual interests is unknown.In the chess game between major powers, countries in the Asia-Pacific region are constantly adjusting their strategies according to their own interests.。
"British Navy aircraft carrier docks in Japan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs responds"-Source: Beijing Daily Client-2025-08/2916: 08