People attend the Friendship Day festival at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, May 5, 2016. (Ricardo Morales/U.S. Marine Corp)
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MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan — Nearly four years after it last welcomed the general public through its gates, MCAS Iwakuni is preparing for its first open house since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
The 44th Friendship Day is scheduled April 15 in conjunction with Fleet Air Wing 31 of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, which shares the base south of Hiroshima with the U.S. Navy Carrier Air Wing 5 and the Marine Corps’ Marine Aircraft Group 12.
“As members of the greater Iwakuni community, it is our pleasure to open our gates, in concert with JMSDF, to the gracious people of our host nation in order to share our two cultures,” MCAS Iwakuni announced in a recent news release.
The Navy squadrons of F/A-18 Super Hornets and other aircraft are based at MCAS Iwakuni unless they’re at sea aboard the carrier USS Ronald Reagan, homeported at Yokosuka Naval Base south of Tokyo. The Marines fly F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters and KC-130J refuelers from the air station.
The base hosted its first Friendship Day 50 years ago; the release described the event as “an exciting, fun-filled event, which will consist of both static displays and aerial performances."
People attend the Friendship Day festival at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, May 5, 2016. (Ricardo Morales/U.S. Marine Corp)
An estimated 165,000 people attended the last Friendship Day in 2019; the event, which includes live music and food and souvenir stands, typically draws more than 200,000 visitors.
The air station is not alone in welcoming its Japanese neighbors at least once a year. For example, Yokota Air Base will host a similar event May 20-21 in western Tokyo.
Last year, Yokota’s Friendship Festival attracted more than 110,000 visitors.
