Camp Asaka is a base of the

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ( ja, 陸上自衛隊, Rikujō Jieitai), , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service ...

. It lies in four municipalities:

Nerima, Tokyo is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. The ward refers to itself as Nerima City. , the ward has an estimated population of 721,858, with 323,296 households and a population density of 15,013 persons per km2, while 15,326 foreign residents are r ...

;

Asaka, Saitama 260px, Pond at JGSDF Camp Asaka 260px, former IJA Officer Preparatory School at JGSDF Camp Asaka is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 143,195 and a population density of 7800 persons per km² ...

; Wako, Saitama; and

Niiza, Saitama is a city in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 166,208 in 76,639 households and a population density of 7300 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Niiza is located at the southernmost tip ...

. It serves as the headquarters of the Eastern Army. The camp was originally the site of a golf course from 1930 to 1940. It served as the site of the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor ...

Junior Military Academy from 1941 to 1945, and as a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

camp (South Camp Drake) from 1945 to 1960, during which time it housed part of the 1st Cavalry Division. The Asaka Shooting Range was a

firing range A shooting range, firing range, gun range or shooting ground is a specialized facility, venue or field designed specifically for firearm usage qualifications, training, practice or competitions. Some shooting ranges are operated by milita ...

constructed on the site for the 1964 Summer Olympics in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, and hosted

pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, ...

and rifle

shooting Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missiles c ...

and the shooting part of the

modern pentathlon The modern pentathlon is an Summer Olympics, Olympic sport consisting of fencing (sport), fencing (one-touch épée), freestyle swimming, show jumping, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting, and cross country running. The event is inspired by t ...

. It is the temporary shooting venue for the 2020 Summer Olympics.

References

Venues of the 1964 Summer Olympics Venues of the 2020 Summer Olympics Defunct sports venues in Japan Olympic modern pentathlon venues Olympic shooting venues Sports venues in Saitama Prefecture Shooting ranges in Japan Military facilities in Tokyo Japan Ground Self-Defense Force bases {{Summer-Olympic-venue-stub