The United Kingdom’s flagship aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, has arrived in Japan at the head of the UK Carrier Strike Group, marking the task force’s first-ever visit to the country. The port call in Tokyo represents a milestone in Operation Highmast, the Royal Navy’s eight-month deployment designed to demonstrate Britain’s global reach and reinforce alliances across the Indo-Pacific.
Operation Highmast, launched in April 2025, is the Royal Navy’s most ambitious overseas mission since the Cold War. Centered around HMS Prince of Wales and supported by allied ships from over a dozen nations, the deployment spans critical maritime routes from the Mediterranean through the Indian Ocean to East Asia. Its goals include strengthening partnerships, enhancing interoperability, ensuring freedom of navigation in contested waters, and promoting British defense technology on the world stage.
The strike group’s arrival in Japan underscores London’s deepening security engagement in the Indo-Pacific, where regional tensions remain high. Prior to Japan, the group carried out joint exercises and high-profile port visits in Singapore, Australia, and other key locations. Now, the focus shifts to joint drills with Japanese and allied forces aimed at advancing regional stability and deterrence.
More than 4,500 British personnel are involved in the deployment, including Royal Navy sailors, Royal Marines, RAF aviators, and Army troops. HMS Prince of Wales serves as a floating command hub and aviation platform, carrying F-35B Lightning II fighter jets and advanced support aircraft to integrate with regional allies.
The Tokyo visit is both symbolic and strategic: a gesture of Britain’s intent to remain a committed Indo-Pacific partner. It also highlights growing UK–Japan defense ties, anchored by the 2024 Reciprocal Access Agreement and enhanced through joint naval exercises such as Pacific Crown.
Beyond naval cooperation, the two nations are co-developing the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a sixth-generation fighter project showcasing their long-term defense industrial collaboration. Recent milestones—such as British F-35B jets operating from Japan’s JS Kaga—underline how far this partnership has advanced.
As HMS Prince of Wales docks in Tokyo, it symbolizes not just a port visit but the consolidation of a modern naval alliance between the UK and Japan, rooted in shared values, strategic alignment, and a common vision for freedom and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
