Tugboats assist the aircraft carrier USS George Washington as it returns to Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, on Oct. 18, 2025. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — The aircraft carrier USS George Washington returned unexpectedly to its homeport Saturday morning, less than three weeks after resuming its annual patrol and just ahead of President Donald Trump’s confirmed visit to Japan.
The ship sailed through Tokyo Bay and moored at its usual berth with little fanfare. The only public notice came through the Navy’s standard communication to the city of Yokosuka.
In rare fashion, the carrier arrived with at least a portion of its air wing still aboard — Carrier Air Wing 5 typically departs the ship for Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni during port calls in Yokosuka.
The George Washington was last in port on Sept. 30 after wrapping a month-long mid-deployment break.
U.S. 7th Fleet spokesman Cmdr. Matthew Comer acknowledged a request for comment Saturday on whether the carrier’s sudden return is tied to Trump’s visit, but did not immediately provide a response.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed on Oct. 15 during CNBC’s Invest in America Forum that Trump will attend the Association of Southeast Asia Nations, or ASEAN, summit in Malaysia, make a presidential visit to Japan, and then travel to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, summit.
U.S. and Japanese officials are expected to visit Yokosuka and tour the George Washington, the Japan Times reported Oct. 11, citing unnamed government sources.
Trump is expected to be accompanied by Japan’s new prime minister — a post still vacant amid political turmoil — and address sailors aboard the carrier to underscore the U.S.-Japan alliance, the report said.
Kyodo News, also citing unnamed government sources, reported Thursday that Trump’s three-day visit to Japan is set to begin Oct. 27.
While Bessent did not provide exact dates, Reuters reported Tuesday that the president is expected to be in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 26, citing Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan. The Chosun Daily in South Korea reported Friday that Trump is expected to arrive in Seoul on Oct. 29 and remain until Oct. 30 and may meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Trump last visited Yokosuka in May 2019 when he hosted a Memorial Day rally aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp and spoke to about 1,000 service members. He also toured the Japanese helicopter carrier JS Kaga alongside then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Ahead of that visit, the White House requested that a guided-missile destroyer partly named for the late Sen. John McCain, whom Trump frequently criticized publicly, be kept “out of sight,” NBC News reported in June 2019. The Navy later acknowledged the request was made but clarified that it was not granted.
