The navy's announcement followed Japan's agreement last month to host a nuclear powered aircraft carrier on its territory for the first time.

"This rotation is part of the Navy's long-range effort to routinely replace older ships assigned to the Navy's forward deployed naval forces with newer or more capable platforms," the Navy said.

"It is part of an ongoing effort to consider the nature of all forward deployed forces when looking at the unpredictable security environment in the western Pacific," it said.

The USS George Washington, which is currently stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, will arrive at its base in Yokosuka, Japan in 2006, the navy said.

It is undergoing maintenance and upgrades at the Newport News shipyards.

The Kitty Hawk, which will be retired from the fleet, is conventionally powered.

Although spurring frequent protests, the US Navy has sent nuclear-powered warships temporarily into Japanese ports, including Yokosuka, more than 1,200 times since 1964.

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