Yokota Air Base

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Template:Nihongo, 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 base occupies a total area of 136,413 m² and has a 3,350 m runway. It is the home of the Fifth Air Force and the 374th Airlift Wing. Among its facilites are the broadcast center for the American Forces Network Tokyo radio service and a detachment of PACAF's Band of the Pacific.

1 History
2 Units
- 2.1 Present
- 2.2 Former
3 Aircraft
- 3.1 Present
- 3.2 Former
4 Tail Code
5 GSUs
6 External links

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History

Image:Yokota Community Center.jpg Image:Yokota base housing.jpg 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.

Yokota housed combat aircraft for many years. During the Korean War it was used for B-29 missions, and during the Vietnam War it was used for ferrying B-52s to Southeast Asia. In 1971 all combat squadrons were transferred to Kadena AFB and Misawa AFB.

The base was the setting of Almost Transparent Blue, a best-selling novel written by Ryu Murakami and published in 1976. It is also the setting of parts of The Yokota Officers Club : A Novel by Sarah Bird.

In 2005, the Japanese government announced that the headquarters of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force would be moved to Yokota.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has advocated opening Yokota to civilian flights, as a method of relieving traffic at Haneda and Narita Airport.

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