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 b ...

. It lies in four municipalities: Nerima, Tokyo;

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 Emper ...

Junior Military Academy from 1941 to 1945, and as a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

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 militar ...

constructed on the site for the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this h ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...

, 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, a ...

and

rifle A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...

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 ...

and the shooting part of the

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

. It is the temporary shooting venue for the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

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