JASDF Lockheed F-104J Starfighter at Fuchū Air Base

is a

Japan Air Self-Defence Force The , , also informally referred to as the Japanese Air Force, is the air and space branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace, other air and space operations, cyberwarfare and electronic warfare. ...

(JASDF) base located in

Fuchū, Tokyo 260px, Fuchū City Hall is a city located in western Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. Fuchū serves as a regional commercial center and a commuter town for workers in central Tokyo. The city hosts large scale manufacturing facilities for Toshiba, NEC ...

. It was originally an

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 o ...

base from 1940 to 1945. After the Japanese surrender it was occupied by US forces and became a US military base known as Fuchu Air Station. The

Japan Self-Defense Force The Japan Self-Defense Forces ( ja, 自衛隊, Jieitai; abbreviated JSDF), also informally known as the Japanese Armed Forces, are the unified ''de facto''Since Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution outlaws the formation of armed forces, the ...

started operating at the base in 1957, and it was also the first headquarters of

U.S. 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 ...

from 1957 to 1974, when the headquarters moved to

Yokota Air Base , is a Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) and United States Air Force (USAF) base in the Tama Area, or Western Tokyo. It occupies portions of Akishima, Fussa, Hamura, Mizuho, Musashimurayama, and Tachikawa. The base houses 14,000 perso ...

. In 1975, major portions of Fuchu Air Station was returned to the Government of Japan (GOJ), and USAF retained small portion for AUTOVON tandem switch,

Troposcatter Tropospheric scatter, also known as troposcatter, is a method of communicating with microwave radio signals over considerable distances – often up to and further depending on frequency of operation, equipment type, terrain, and climate facto ...

Site (JTS), and associated Technical Control Facility (TCF). About a third of the base became a JASDF base, some of the land became a park and sporting grounds, and the area in the north of the base around the troposcatter dishes that were used to maintain radio contact with

Misawa Air Base is an air base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), List of United States Air Force installations, the United States Air Force, and the United States Navy located in Misawa, Aomori, Misawa, Aomori Prefecture, Aomori, in the northern p ...

in Aomori remains closed and unoccupied. Air Support Command of the JASDF is based at Fuchu. The Air Traffic Control Service Group and the Air Weather Service Group are located at the base. On display near the main entrance of the base are two jet fighters formerly operated by the JASDF, a

Lockheed F-104 Starfighter The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is an American single-engine, supersonic air superiority fighter which was extensively deployed as a fighter-bomber during the Cold War. Created as a day fighter by Lockheed as one of the "Century Series" of fi ...

and a

Mitsubishi F-1 The Mitsubishi F-1 is a Japanese swept-wing, single-seat, twin-engine supersonic strike aircraft that was in service with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) from 1978 to 2006. It was Japan's first domestically designed and built supersoni ...

. Thompson, Pau
J-HangarSpace - Where Are They Now?
Retrieved September 16, 2016

References

External links

Official website
{{coord, 35.676, 139.495, type:landmark_region:JP_dim:2000, display=title Installations of the United States Air Force in Japan Japan Air Self-Defense Force bases Military facilities in Tokyo 1957 establishments in Japan