Japan - August 28, 2025 The United Kingdom’s Carrier Strike Group, led by the Royal Navy’s flagship HMS Prince of Wales, has arrived in Japan for the first time. This visit marks the halfway point in the ship’s eight-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific region, known as Operation Highmast. HMS Prince of Wales was welcomed into Tokyo on 28 August as part of the deployment’s key “gold stop.” The mission, involving a dozen nations, has seen the Carrier Strike Group transit the Mediterranean, Middle East, and Indian Ocean, with prior visits to Singapore and Australia. The focus now shifts to Asia. The deployment aims to reaffirm the UK’s commitment to regional security, demonstrate collective resolve with allies, and showcase British trade and industry. Operation Highmast involves more than 4,500 British military personnel, including nearly 600 RAF members, 900 soldiers, and 2,500 Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines.