ARLEIGH Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta is expected to arrive on the remote Japanese island of Ishigaki for a scheduled port call next month.
Arrangements are underway for the port call to take place at Ishigaki Port in Okinawa Prefecture from March 11 to 14.
The USS Rafael Peralta is about 155 meters long, weighs about 9,000 tons, and can accommodate an estimated 300 personnel, as described by the U.S. Navy.
If everything goes as planned, it will be the first time a U.S. Navy destroyer will visit the remote Ishigaki Island situated near China and Taiwan.
The purpose of the port call is for rest and replenishment, according to a city official.
Ishigaki is located near the uninhabited island chain known as the Senkaku Islands controlled by Japan but also claimed by China and Taiwan.
Japan has deployed hundreds of troops and missile units on the politically sensitive island in recent months.
Local officials at Ishigaki City are still discussing how to respond to the U.S. Navy’s proposal for a port call.
