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The United States Forces Japan (USFJ, Japanese: 在日米軍 Zainichi Beigun) refers to the various divisions of the United States Armed Forces (USAF) that are stationed in Japan. Under the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan, the USAF is obliged to defend Japan in close cooperation with the Japan Self-Defense Forces.

Contents 1 History 2 Today 3 Controversy 4 List of facilities 5 Former U.S. Forces facilities in Japan 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

After the Japanese surrender in World War II, the United States Armed Forces acquired the overall administrative authority in Japan. All of the Japanese Imperial Army and Navy have been decommissioned and all of their military bases were taken over by the USAF. The allied countries planned to demilitarize newly dependent Japan, and the U.S. imposed the Constitution of Japan with a no-armed-force clause in 1947.

After the Korean War began in 1950, Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers in Japan, ordered the Japanese government to establish the paramilitary "Reserved Police", which was later developed into the Japan Self-Defense Forces.

In 1951, the Treaty of San Francisco was signed by the allied countries and Japan, and Japanese government restored its sovereignty. At the same time, the US and Japan signed the Japan-America Security Alliance. By this treaty, the USAF have been legally responsible for the security defence of Japan and in return for this, Japanese government have offered military bases, money and various interests which were defined by the Status of Forces Agreement.

In 1960 at the expiration of the treaty, the new Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan was signed between the United States and Japan. The status of the United States Forces Japan was defined in the U.S.-Japan Status of Forces Agreement. The treaty have been effective to present day, and the Japanese foreign policy is based on this reciprocal obligations.

In the Vietnam War, the USFJ military bases in Japan, especially these in Okinawa, were used as the important strategic and logistic base. The USAF Strategic bombers were deployed in the Bases in Okinawa, which was still administered by the US government. In 1960s, one thousand two hundred nuclear weapons were stored in the Kadena Air Base, Okinawa.^[1] All of the nukes were carried out from Okinawa after the reversion to Japanese administration in 1972.

There are currently 33,453 U.S. military personnel in Japan, and about another 5,500 American civilians employed there by the United States Department of Defense. The United States Seventh Fleet is based in Yokosuka. 130 USAF fighters are stationed in the Misawa Air Base and Kadena Air Base.

• Army: 1,965
• Navy: 3,742
• Air Force: 13,322
• Marines: 14,424
• Total: 33,453^[2]

The Japanese government paid 217 billion Yen (US$ 2.0 billion) in 2007^[3] as annual host-nation support called Omoiyari Yosan (思いやり予算, Omoiyari Yosan^? sympathy budget or compassion budget).^[4]

The neutrality and factual accuracy of this article are disputed. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page.

Many Japanese citizens appreciated the mutual security treaty with the US and the presence of the USFJ,^[5] but at the same time, a large portion of the population demand a reduction in the amount of US military bases in the region.^[6] Many of the bases, such as the Yokota Air Base, Naval Air Facility Atsugi and Kadena Air Base, are located in the vicinity of residential districts, and the local citizens suffer from the aircraft ear-splitting noise.^[7][8][9]

A series of serious crimes committed by the US personnel are also seen as a problem. From 1952 to 2004, there have been 200 thousand accidents and crimes committed by the US soldiers and 1076 Japanese civilians killed (except those in Okinawa before 1972).^[10] In the U.S.-Japan Status of Forces Agreement, US personnel have the partial extraterritorial right, so in the most of the cases suspects were not arrested, or even if the case goes on trial, they were just sentenced to relatively light. In 1995 the abduction and rape of a 12-year-old Okinawan schoolgirl by three U.S. marines led to popular demands for the removal of all US military bases in Japan.

Other controversial incidents reported in the Okinawa Times include helicopter crashes, murders, rapes, arson attacks, hit-and-run incidents, shooting incidents and the detonation of a tear gas grenade in a disco.

The USFJ headquarters is at Yokota Air Base, about 30 km west of central Tokyo.

The U.S. military installations in Japan and their managing branches are:

Air Force:

• Camp Chitose—Chitose, Hokkaido
• Kadena Air Base—Okinawa Prefecture
• Kadena Ammunition Storage Area (smaller portion of this area is also Marine Corps)—Okinawa Prefecture
• Misawa Air Base—Aomori Prefecture
• Yokota Air Base—Fussa, Tokyo
• Fuchu Communications Station—Fuchu, Tokyo
• Tama Service Annex—Inagi, Tokyo
• Yugi Communication Site—Hachioji, Tokyo
• Camp Asaka AFN Transmitter Site—Saitama Prefecture
• Tokorozawa Transmitter Site—Saitama Prefecture
• Owada Communication Site—Saitama Prefecture
• Okuma Rest Center—Okinawa Prefecture
• Yaedake Communication Site—Okinawa Prefecture
• Camp Shields (Camp split between AF and Navy)
• Senaha Communication Station—Okinawa Prefecture

Army:

• Fort Buckner (Torii Communication Station)—Okinawa Prefecture
• Camp Zama-Kastner AAF—Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Yokohama North Dock—Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Sagami General Depot—Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Sagamihara Housing Area—Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Akizuki Ammunition Depot—Hiroshima Prefecture
• Hiro Ammunition Depot—Hiroshima Prefecture
• Kawakami Ammunition Depot—Hiroshima Prefecture
• Gesaji Communication Site—Okinawa Prefecture
• Army POL Depots—Okinawa Prefecture
• White Beach Area (portion of White Beach also Navy)—Okinawa Prefecture
• Naha Port—Okinawa Prefecture
• Hardy Barracks (Akasaka Press Center)—Roppongi, Tokyo

Marine Corps:

• Camp Smedley D. Butler—Okinawa, Yamaguchi Prefecture (Although these camps are dispersed throughout Okinawa and Japan they are all under the heading of Camp Smedley D. Butler):
  • Camp Courtney
  • Camp Kinser (Makiminato Service Area)
  • Marine Corps Air Station Futenma — support services only, Futenma has a separate operational chain of command
  • Camp Hansen (Central Training Area)
  • Camp Schwab
  • Camp Shields
  • Jungle Warfare Training Center (formerly the Northern Training Area)
  • Gimbaru Training Area (Camp Gonsalves)
  • Kin Blue Beach Training Area
  • Kin Red Beach Training Area
  • NSGA Hanza
  • Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni
  • Camp Fuji—Shizuoka Prefecture
  • Numazu Training Area—Shizuoka Prefecture
  • Camp McTureous
  • Yomitan Auxiliary Airfield
  • Higashionna (Kadena) Ammunition Storage Point II
  • Henoko Ordnance Ammunition Depot
• Tengan Pier
• Ie Jima Auxiliary Air Field—Okinawa Prefecture
• Tsuken Jima Training Area
• Kadena Ammunition Storage Area (larger portion of this area is also Air Force)
• Camp Foster (also known as Camp Zukeran)—Okinawa Prefecture
• Camp Lester (also known as Camp Kuwae)—Okinawa Prefecture

Navy:

• Naval Air Facility Atsugi—Ayase, Kanagawa Prefecture
• United States Fleet Activities Sasebo—Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture
• United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka—Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Urago Ammunition Depot—Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Tsurumi POL Depot—Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Naval Housing Annex Negishi—Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Naval Transmitter Station Totsuka (Fukaya Communication Site)—Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Naval Support Facility Kamiseya—Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Tomioka Storage Area—Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Naval Housing Annex Ikego—Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Camp Shields—Okinawa Prefecture (Camp split between AF and Navy)
• White Beach Area (portion of White Beach also Army)—Okinawa Prefecture
• Awase Communication Station—Okinawa Prefecture
• Sobe Communication Site—Okinawa Prefecture
• The New Sanno Hotel-Tokyo

Japan–U.S. Status of Forces Agreement Areas:

• Kisarazu Auxiliary Landing Field—Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture
• Camp Hansen (small portion in central area of Camp Hansen)—Okinawa Prefecture
• Ukibaru Jima—Okinawa Prefecture
• Kadena Air Base (small areas outside of the base that are supported by Kadena—these areas are located on the southern portion of Okinawa)—Okinawa Prefecture
• Jungle Warfare Training Center (formerly known as Northern Training Area—four thin elongated areas embedded and distributed evenly within JWTC)—Okinawa Prefecture

In Okinawa, U.S. military installations occupy about 10.4 percent of the total land usage. Approximately 74.7 percent of all the U.S. military facilities in Japan are located on the island of Okinawa.

The United States has returned some facilities to Japanese control. Some are used as military bases of the JSDF; others have become civilian airports or government offices; many are factories, office buildings or resential developments in the private sector Due to the Special Actions Committee on Okinawa, more land in Okinawa is in the process of being returned. These areas include--Camp Kuwae [also known as Camp Lester], MCAS Futenma, areas within Camp Zukeran [also known as Camp Foster], about 9,900 acres (40 km²) of the Northern Training Area, Aha Training Area, Gimbaru Training Area (also known as Camp Gonsalves), Sobe Communications Site, Yomitan Auxiliary Airfield, Senaha Communications Station, small portion of the Makiminato Service Area (also known as Camp Kinser), and Naha Port.

Army:

• RYCOM
• Camp Chickamauga (Beppu)
• Camp Drake—Asaka, Saitama Prefecture
• Camp Drew—Gunma Prefecture
• Camp Fuchinobe—Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Camp Gifu—Gifu Prefecture
• Camp Katagai—Toyoumi, Kujukuri-Machi, Chiba Prefecture
• Camp Kokura—Fukuoka Prefecture
• Camp Mcgill—Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Camp Moore—Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Camp Mower (Sasebo)—Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture
• Camp Nara—Nara Prefecture
• Camp Oji (Army Hospital)—Higashi-Jujo, Tokyo
• Camp Omiya—Omiya, Saitama Prefecture
• Camp Palmer—Narashino, Chiba Prefecture
• Camp Sendai-Nigatake, Miyagi Prefecture
• Camp Whittington—Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture
• Camp Wood (Kumamoto)
• Chuo Kogyo (ACAN Station)—Wako, Saitama Prefecture
• Hamby AAF—Okinawa Prefecture
• Kishine Barracks—Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Pershing Heights (Hq FEC)—Ichigaya, Tokyo
• Grant Heights—Hikarigaoka, Tokyo
• Washington Heights—Yoyogi, Tokyo
• U.S. Army Medical Center—Sagami Ono, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Yokohama Ordnance Depot (YOD)—Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Yokohama Signal Supply Depot—Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture

Navy:

• Honmoku Housing Area—Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Naval Air Facility Oppama—Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Kishine

Air Force:

• Ashiya
• Brady Air Base
• Chitose Air Base
• Gannosu Air Station
• Fuchu Air Station
• Haneda Air Base
• Itami Air Base
• Itazuke Air Base
• Johnson Air Base
• Naha Air Base
• Showa Air Station
• Shiroi Air Base
• Tachikawa Air Base
• Wakkanai
• Yamato Air Station (TAB add.)

Marines:

• Makiminato Housing Area

• United States Forces Korea (USFK)

• United States Forces Japan
• U.S. Naval Forces Japan
• U.S. Forces, Japan (GlobalSecurity.org)
• Overseas Presence: Issues Involved in Reducing the Impact of the U.S. Military Presence on Okinawa, GAO, March 1998
• U.S. Military Issues in Okinawa