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 ...

air station located in the Nishiki

river delta A river delta is a landform shaped like a triangle, created by deposition (geology), deposition of sediment that is carried by a river and enters slower-moving or stagnant water. This occurs where a river enters an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, res ...

, southeast of

Iwakuni Station is a railway station in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). Lines Iwakuni Station is served by the Sanyō Main Line and the Gantoku Line. Additionally, trains from the Nishikigawa Seiryū Line ...

AIS Japan
/ref> in the

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

Iwakuni is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. History Iwakuni was formerly the castle town of the Iwakuni han, which was formed by Lord Hiroie Kikkawa after he was banished there for supporting the defeated shōgun. The Kikkawa clan ruled ...

Yamaguchi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Yamaguchi Prefecture has a population of 1,377,631 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 6,112 Square kilometre, km2 (2,359 Square mile, sq mi). Y ...

, Japan.

History

The Japanese government bought a large portion of what is today MCAS Iwakuni in 1938, with the view of establishing a naval air station. They commissioned the new base 8 July 1940. When World War II started, the Iwakuni air station was used as a training and defense base. The station housed 96 trainers and 150 Zero fighter planes on the airstrip. In September 1943, a branch of the Etajima Naval Academy was established here, with approximately 1,000 cadets undergoing training in the Basic, Junior and Senior Officer's schools at any one time. American B-29's bombed Iwakuni in May and August 1945, concentrating on the oil refinery and Rail Transport Office or train station areas. The last air raid took place just a day before the war was brought to a close. The first allies to reach Iwakuni at the war's end were a group of U.S. Marines who had signed papers ending the conflict for the Japanese air base. After the end of World War II, various military forces from the United States, Britain, Australia, and New Zealand occupied the base and it was repaired by

No. 5 Airfield Construction Squadron RAAF No. 5 Airfield Construction Squadron (5ACS) was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) construction squadron. The unit was first formed in July 1942 and served in the New Guinea Campaign and Borneo Campaign during World War II. The squadron was on ...

and designated a

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

Base in 1948. The Americans first occupied the base in 1950 to use it as a springboard for aircraft heading to the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. In 1952, the base officially became a United States military base. F-51Ds 77 Sqn RAAF at Iwakuni c1950

Iwakuni had scheduled international service by private airlines from 1952 to 1964, during which time it had the IATA airport code IWJ. This code was later reassigned to

Iwami Airport is an airport located Masuda, Shimane Prefecture, Japan. It is also known as Hagi-Iwami Airport due to its proximity to the city of Hagi in Yamaguchi Prefecture. It is a 2 or 3 hour drive from the old town of Iwami, its primary namesake. Op ...

in neighboring Shimane Prefecture.

Nuclear weapon A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bom ...

s were moved from Okinawa to the base for storage during a brief period in 1966. When U.S. ambassador to Japan

Edwin O. Reischauer Edwin Oldfather Reischauer (; October 15, 1910 – September 1, 1990) was an American diplomat, educator, and professor at Harvard University. Born in Tokyo to American educational missionaries, he became a leading scholar of the history and cul ...

learned of the presence of the weapons, which was a violation of the

Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan The , more commonly known as the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty in English and as the or just in Japanese, is a treaty that permits the presence of U.S. military bases on Japanese soil, and commits the two nations to defend each other if one or th ...

, he told the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

that if the weapons were not removed within 90 days he would resign and go public with the information. The weapons were removed shortly thereafter, and their presence at the base did not become publicly known until 2010. It is currently home to around 5,000

United States Marines 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 com ...

and family members. The base is detailed for Marine

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

training and air patrol, using

F/A-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twinjet, twin-engine, supersonic aircraft, supersonic, carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a Fighter aircraft, ...

fighter-

attack aircraft An attack aircraft, strike aircraft, or attack bomber is a tactical military aircraft that has a primary role of carrying out airstrikes with greater precision than bombers, and is prepared to encounter strong low-level air defenses while pre ...

among others in compliance with the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security obligations to protect Japan. MCAS Iwakuni is also shared with the

Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...

. MCAS Iwakuni is home to a

Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philippin ...

school, Matthew C. Perry (Elementary, Middle School and High School). F-18 Iwakuni

A new off-shore runway opened at the base on 30 May 2010. The new runway is 2,440 meters in length. On 22 November 2017, a

C-2A Greyhound Grading in education is the process of applying standardized measurements for varying levels of achievements in a course. Grades can be assigned as letters (usually A through F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), as a percentage, or as a numbe ...

cargo plane with 11 crew and passengers aboard crashed southeast of Okinawa after departing the base for the aircraft carrier

USS Ronald Reagan USS ''Ronald Reagan'' (CVN-76) is a , nuclear-powered supercarrier in the service of the United States Navy. The ninth ship of her class, she is named in honor of Ronald W. Reagan, President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. She was buil ...

. Eight of the 11 were rescued. On 6 December 2018, an F/A-18D Hornet (callsign "Profane 12") belonging to VMFA(AW)-242 collided mid air with a KC-130 (callsign "Sumo 41") from VMGR-152 during a nighttime training exercise. The crew of Sumo 41 were killed in the collision along with the pilot of Profane 12. The co-pilot of Profane 12 was rescued by

JMSDF , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...

Search & Rescue in Japanese waters. An investigation into the accident was led by the Marine Corps.

ProPublica ProPublica (), legally Pro Publica, Inc., is a nonprofit organization based in New York City. In 2010, it became the first online news source to win a Pulitzer Prize, for a piece written by one of its journalists''The Guardian'', April 13, 2010P ...

later conducted their own independent investigation after finding the Marine Corps initial results to be inaccurate.

USN Carrier Air Wing 5 relocation to MCAS Iwakuni

Since at least 2005 there had been plans to relocate

Carrier Air Wing Five Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW-5) is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni. The air wing is attached to the aircraft carrier . It was initially formed in 1943. It has participated in the Second Wor ...

's fixed wing aircraft from

Naval Air Facility Atsugi is a joint Japan-US naval air base located in the cities of Yamato and Ayase in Kanagawa, Japan. It is the largest United States Navy (USN) air base in the Pacific Ocean and once housed the squadrons of Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW-5), which dep ...

Kanagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kana ...

to Iwakuni. Yamaguchi governor Sekinari Nii said there was "no way" Yamaguchi prefecture would accept this. In 2006 Iwakuni voters rejected the plan in a

plebiscite A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

and

mayor Katsusuke Ihara urged Tokyo to drop the plan. In 2007 the Japanese government passed legislation to prepare for the relocation of US Forces in Japan including subsidies for local affected areas. The move was planned to have been done in 2014, but after construction delays the move was delayed by three years, to 2017. The move did not include the wing's two helicopter squadrons. The first CVW-5 squadron,

VAW-125 Airborne Command & Control Squadron 125 (VAW-125), known as the "Torch Bearers" or "Tigertails", was established on 1 October 1968, at Naval Air Station Norfolk. The squadron's initial supporting command was Carrier Air Wing Three (CVW-3) deploy ...

flying the

E-2D Hawkeye The Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is an American all-weather, carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft. This twin-turboprop aircraft was designed and developed during the late 1950s and early 1960s by the Grumman Aircraft ...

arrived in January 2017. The Boeing E/A-18G Growlers of VAQ-141 "Shadowhawks" completed relocation in January, 2018. By March 2018, all fixed wing aircraft of Carrier Air Wing 5 had completed relocation from NAF Atsugi.

USMC F-35B aircraft

The first aircraft of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 "Green Knights" (VMFA-121) arrived on 18 January 2017. This became the first forward deployed F-35B Lightning II squadron in the United States Marine Corps. They have since flown show of force sorties against North Korea.

Role and operations

F-35B Lighting II training flights 170203-M-VF398-0001

US Marine Corps

Marine Aircraft Group 12 Marine Aircraft Group 12 (MAG-12) is an active air group of the United States Marine Corps, tasked with providing fighter and assault support aircraft. It is currently part of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing (1st MAW), itself an integral part of t ...

(MAG-12) contains the rotary and fixed wing aircraft assets of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni. MAG-12 is home to three flying squadrons, an aviation logistics squadron, and a ground support squadron. * VMFA-242 "Bats"— one of two permanent forward deployed Marine

F-35B Lightning II The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft that is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions. It is also able to provide elect ...

fighter squadrons. *

VMFA-121 Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 (VMFA-121), also known as the "Green Knights", is a United States Marine Corps aircraft squadron operating the F-35B Lightning II. The squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan and falls under ...

"Green Knights"- the other permanent forward deployed Marine

fighter squadron. *

VMGR-152 Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 (VMGR-152) provides aerial refueling service to support Fleet Marine Force (FMF) air operations; and provides assault air transport of personnel, equipment, and supplies. The squadron, known as the "Su ...

"Sumos" — moved here from

MCAS 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 ...

in Okinawa commencing in June 2014 with their 15

KC-130J Super Hercules The Lockheed Martin (previously Lockheed) KC-130 is a family of the extended-range tanker version of the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. The KC-130J is the latest variant operated by the United States Marine Corps (USMC), with 48 delivered ...

. *

Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 12 Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 12 (MALS-12) is an aviation logistics support unit of the United States Marine Corps. Known as the "Marauders", they fall under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 12 (MAG-12) and the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing ...

(MALS-12) provides logistics support, guidance, and direction to MAG-12 and other commands aboard the Station. Click on the link to the right for more information on the Marauders. *

Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 (MWSS-171) is an aviation ground support unit of the United States Marine Corps. Known as "The Sentinels", they are based out of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan. The squadron is part of Marine Aircraft Gro ...

(MWSS-171) provides essential Aviation Ground Support to the Station *

Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron A Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, abbreviated as HHS or HQHQSQDN, is the headquarters entity for a United States Marine Corps aviation facility. Organization A H&HS usually consists of the headquarters group (the station commanding general ...

(H&HS) provides administrative support and conducts training in general military skills for more than 800 Marines and sailors aboard MCAS Iwakuni. * Combat Logistics Company 36 (CLC-36) Provides logistic support to MWSS-171 and MAG 12.

US Air Force

The 374th Communications Squadron provides communications support to H&HS, MAG-12, Branch Medical Clinic Iwakuni, Army Corps of Engineers, and the

Based units

Flying and notable non-flying units based at MCAS Iwakuni.

United States Marine Corps

Marine Corps Installations – Pacific *

– UC-12W Huron

1st Marine Aircraft Wing The 1st Marine Aircraft Wing is an aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps that serves as the Aviation Combat Element of the III Marine Expeditionary Force. The wing is headquartered at Camp Foster on the island of Okinawa, Japan. Activ ...

** Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 (VMGR-152) –

** Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 242 (VFMA-242) –

** Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 12 (MALS-12) ** Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 (VMFA-121) –

** Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 (MWSS-171)

3rd Marine Logistics Group The 3rd Marine Logistics Group (3rd MLG) is the Logistics Combat Element (LCE) for III Marine Expeditionary Force currently headquartered on Camp Kinser, Marine Corps Base Smedley D. Butler, Okinawa, Japan. 3rd MLG provides combat service supp ...

Combat Logistics Regiment 35 The Combat Logistics Regiment 35 (CLR-35) was a logistics unit of the United States Marine Corps that was headquartered at Camp Kinser, Okinawa, Japan. When active, the unit fell under the 3rd Marine Logistics Group (3rd MLG) and the III Marine E ...

** Combat Logistics Company 36 (CLC-36)

United States Air Force

Pacific Air Forces Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PACAF is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (fo ...

(PACAF) *

Fifth Air Force The Fifth Air Force (5 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan. It is the U.S. Air Force's oldest continuously serving Numbered Air Force. The organiza ...

374th Airlift Wing The 374th Airlift Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force assigned to Fifth Air Force. It is stationed at Yokota Air Base, Japan. It is part of Pacific Air Forces. The 374th Airlift Wing is the only airlift wing in PACAF and provides airl ...

*** 374th Mission Support Group **** 374th Communications Squadron ***** Operating Location Bravo

United States Navy

US Pacific Fleet The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level component command of the United States Navy, located in the Pacific Ocean. It provides naval forces to the Indo-Pacific Command. Fleet headquarters is at Joint Base Pearl Harbor� ...

* Naval Air Force Pacific ** Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW-5) *** Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 125 (VAW-125) –

E-2C Hawkeye The Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is an American all-weather, carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable tactical Airborne early warning and control, airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft. This twin-turboprop aircraft was designed and developed duri ...

*** Fleet Logistics Support Squadron Composite 30 (VRC-30) **** Detachment 5 –

*** Electronic Attack Squadron 141 (VAQ-141) –

EA-18G Growler The Boeing EA-18G Growler is an American carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft, a specialized version of the two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet. The EA-18G replaced the Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowlers in service with the United States Navy. The ...

*** Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 (HSC-25) **** Detachment 6 –

MH-60S Seahawk The Sikorsky SH-60/MH-60 Seahawk (or Sea Hawk) is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission United States Navy helicopter based on the United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family. The most significant modificatio ...

*** Strike Fighter Squadron 27 (VFA-27) – F/A18E Super Hornet *** Strike Fighter Squadron 102 (VFA-102) – F/A18F Super Hornet *** Strike Fighter Squadron 115 (VFA-115) – F/A18E Super Hornet *** Strike Fighter Squadron 195 (VFA-195) – F/A18E Super Hornet

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force

Fleet Air Force *Fleet Air Wing 31 **Air Patrol Squadron 71 – US-1A and US-2 **Air Patrol Squadron 81 – EP-3 and OP-3C **Air Patrol Squadron 91 – UP-3D and U-36A ** Mine Countermeasures Helicopter Squadron 111 – MCH-101

Commercial services

Regular commercial service started from 13 December 2012 with a civilian airport terminal built to accommodate commercial flights. It was initially projected that up to 430,000 passengers would use the airport each year, and in the first seven months of operations the airport handled over 200,000 passengers, with average load factors between Iwakuni and Tokyo exceeding 70% during June 2013. Since

IATA airport code An IATA airport code, also known as an IATA location identifier, IATA station code, or simply a location identifier, is a three-character alphanumeric geocode designating many airports and metropolitan areas around the world, defined by the ...

IWJ, formerly assigned to Iwakuni, was already reassigned to

, new IATA code of IWK was assigned to Iwakuni. The inaugural flight was operated by

All Nippon Airways , also known as ANA (''Ē-enu-ē'') or is an airline in Japan. Its headquarters are located in Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area of Minato ward of Tokyo. It operates services to both domestic and international destinations and had mo ...

from

Haneda Airport , officially , and sometimes called as Tokyo Haneda Airport or Haneda International Airport , is one of two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Narita International Airport (NRT). It serves as the primary ...

. Also, Iwakuni Airport will be called by its official nickname "Iwakuni Kintaikyo Airport", named after the

Kintaikyo bridge The is a historical wooden arch bridge, in the city of Iwakuni, in Yamaguchi prefecture, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. The pedestrian bridge was built in 1673, spanning the Nishiki River in a series of five wooden arches. The bridge is located ...

near the airport. In the future, they plan to serve international flights to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

and

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

and some other cities within Japan.

Airlines and destinations

Friendship Day

Every year on 5 May, Japanese nationals and U.S. service members, government employees and their families officially celebrate their long-standing friendship by opening the gates of MCAS Iwakuni for one of Japan's largest

air show An air show (or airshow, air fair, air tattoo) is a public event where aircraft are exhibited. They often include aerobatics demonstrations, without they are called "static air shows" with aircraft parked on the ground. The largest air show m ...

s dedicated to enhancing the friendship of the two

nations A nation is a community of people formed on the basis of a combination of shared features such as language, history, ethnicity, culture and/or society. A nation is thus the collective identity of a group of people understood as defined by those ...

. The event, entitled Friendship Day, hosts an average 250,000 visitors who travel from all over Japan.

References

:''This article incorporates text in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...

from the

.''

External links

MCAS Iwakuni
official site
An Insider's Guide to USMC Bases including Iwakuni
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Iwakuni

active Active may refer to: Music * ''Active'' (album), a 1992 album by Casiopea * Active Records, a record label Ships * ''Active'' (ship), several commercial ships by that name * HMS ''Active'', the name of various ships of the British Royal ...

Installations of the U.S. Department of Defense in Japan Airports in Japan Transport in Yamaguchi Prefecture Buildings and structures in Yamaguchi Prefecture Military airbases established in 1940 1940 establishments in Japan Iwakuni, Yamaguchi