Camp Foster, formerly known as Camp Zukeran ( ja, キャンプ・フォスター), is a

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

camp located in

Ginowan ( ryu, ジノーン, translit=Jinōn) is a city located in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2012, the city has an estimated population of 94,405, with 40,041 households and a population density of 4,838.8 persons per km2. The total area is 19.5 ...

City with portions overlapping into

Okinawa City is the second-largest city in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, following Naha, the capital city. It is located in the central part of the island of Okinawa, about north of Naha. As of December 2012, the city has an estimated population of 138,431 and ...

, Chatan town and Kitanakagusuku village in the

Japanese prefecture Japan is divided into 47 prefectures (, ''todōfuken'', ), which rank immediately below the national government and form the country's first level of jurisdiction and administrative division. They include 43 prefectures proper (, ''ken''), two ...

Okinawa Island is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands of Japan in the Kyushu region. It is the smallest and least populated of the five main islands of Japan. The island is approximately long, an average wide, and has an ...

. It is part of the

Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler (or simply Butler Marine Base) is a United States Marine Corps base located in the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa. It was named after Marine Corps Major General and twice Medal of Honor recipient Smedley ...

complex.

Description

Some of Camp Foster's area overlaps with

, Chatan town and Kitanakagusuku village in the

. It houses the headquarters of Marine Corps Base Butler,

Marine Corps Installations Pacific Marine Corps Installations Pacific (MCIPAC) is the single, regional authority for accountability of regional installation management resources and services within the Pacific area of operations. MCIPAC was established to increase regional install ...

and the Okinawa Area Field Office of

United States Forces Japan is a subordinate unified command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). It was activated at Fuchū Air Station in Tokyo, Japan, on 1 July 1957 to replace the Far East Command. USFJ is commanded by the Commander, US Forces ...

. It was named after the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

recipient PFC

William A. Foster William Adelbert Foster (February 17, 1915 – May 2, 1945) was a United States Marine who received the Medal of Honor for his "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty" during World War II d ...

. Among its amenities are a large exchange with an adjacent food court. There is a smaller exchange “PX” next to the large exchange, which has a nail salon, barber shop, soft bank, AU, and a toy land. Near the commissary is a bowling alley, skate park, performing arts center and movie theater. The base operates three schools: Zukeran and Killin elementary schools and

Kubasaki High School is a United States Department of Defense Dependents School on Okinawa. Kubasaki is the second oldest operating high school in the Department of Defense Dependents Schools system.CORRECTIONS TO THE POST-WAR HISTORY OF AMERICAN DEPENDENT SCHOOLS ON ...

. The base's housing units include Kishaba, Chatan,

Futenma is a United States Marine Corps base located in Ginowan, Okinawa, Japan, northeast of Naha, on the island of Okinawa. It is home to approximately 3,000 Marines of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and other units, and has been a U.S. military air ...

, Plaza and Sada.

Environmental investigation

In October 2013 Japanese officials entered the base with US permission to look for buried cultural properties. They discovered dozens of abandoned metal drums, but did not report this to the Ginowan city's mayor until March 2014. Members of the Japanese defense ministry's local bureau and Ginowan city visually inspected the site, as part of its cultural property research and "no unusual odor or color change in soil" was detected. Also apparently no health problems have been actively "reported by residents living around the base". Ginowan city government had called the Japanese defense ministry's to investigate for "possible environmental impacts". The Japanese Defense Minister

Itsunori Onodera is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party and a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). He served as the Minister of Defense from 2012 to 2014 and again from 2017 to 2018. Early life and educat ...

said: "We will take appropriate measures in cooperation with the United States and the city of Ginowan" as they plan environmental studies on soil in the week of 18 March 2014. The United States rarely allow environmental inspections on U.S. bases not planned for return to Japan.

Land Return

The Futenma housing area of the base originally was to be returned to Japan between 2001 and 2003, 5–7 years from 1996. In 2006, the Nishi-Futenma housing area at Camp Foster was vacated and slated for return to Japan, but Japanese concerns of contamination stalled the transfer. For example, bungalows in the military housing area built in the 1950s were insulated with

asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...

. Per the U.S.-Japan Status of Forces Agreement from 1960 the U.S military is not responsible for the remediation of land polluted by its bases in Japan. Because the central government has not challenged the dated agreement, the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly created its own special committee regarding U.S. bases, to collect information directly about past use and storage of chemicals. In October 2013 it created a department of pollution, which would circumvent the central government and its environmental investigations, which some believe are not interested in communicating the true levels of pollution. On 31 March 2015 the West Futenma housing area on Camp Foster was returned to Okinawa Prefecture, reducing and consolidating land used by the U.S. military. A 20-hectare part of the area is earmarked for a medical division with plans to build a prefecture administered advanced heavy particle cancer therapy facility. The University of the Ryukyus Faculty of Medicine, including the University Hospital, is also scheduled to move from its current location in Nishihara into a new facility to be constructed on the land.

Tenant units

* 3rd Medical Battalion *

Marine Wing Support Group 17 Marine Wing Support Group 17 (MWSG-17) was a United States Marine Corps aviation ground support unit based at Marine Corps Base Camp Butler, Japan. They were composed of two squadrons that provided the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing (1st MAW) and III ...

Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 1 Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 1 is the headquarters element of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and is located at Marine Corps Base Camp Foster on Okinawa, Japan. Mission The mission of Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 1 is to provide administ ...

Marine Wing Communications Squadron 18 Marine Wing Communications Squadron 18 (MWCS-18) is a United States Marine Corps communications squadron. The squadron provides expeditionary communications for the aviation combat element of the III Marine Expeditionary Force. They are based at ...

Combat Logistics Regiment 3 Combat Logistics Regiment 3 (CLR-3) is a direct support (DS) logistics unit of the United States Marine Corps and is headquartered at Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan. The unit falls under the 3rd Marine Logistics Group and the III Marine Expeditionar ...

* 3d Transportation Battalion * US Naval Hospital, Okinawa *

Marine Wing Support Squadron 172 Marine Wing Support Squadron 172 (MWSS 172) is an aviation support unit of the United States Marine Corps's 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. Known as the "Firebirds", they are based out of Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan. Previously part of Marine Wing Su ...

List of United States Marine Corps bases This is a list of installations used by the United States Marine Corps, organized by type and state. Most US states do not have active Marine Corps bases; however, many do have reserve bases and centers. In addition, the Marine Corps Security Fo ...

References

External links