Yokota Air Base
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Yokota Air Base (横田空軍基地), a base of the United States Air Force, is located in Fussa City (福生市) and nearby communities in the suburbs of Tokyo, Japan. The base serves as the headquarters for United States Forces Japan, and is currently used for airlift missions throughout East Asia. It houses 14,000 personnel.
The facility which houses Yokota Air Base was originally constructed by the Imperial Japanese Army in 1940 as Tama Airfield, and used as a flight test center. It was taken over by U.S. forces on September 4, 1945 and later expanded, reaching its current size around 1960. During the Korean War it was used for B-29 missions, but in 1971 all combat squadrons were transferred to Okinawa.
The base occupies a total area of 136,413 m² and has a 3,350 m runway. It is the home of the 5th Air Force and the 374th Airlift Wing. Among its facilites are the broadcast center for the American Forces Network Tokyo radio service.
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