U.S. Marines representing Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 pose for a photo with guests during Friendship Day at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, May 3, 2026. (Janiqua Robinson/Stars and Stripes)
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan — Aircraft still took to the skies Sunday at the 47th Friendship Day at this air base south Hiroshima despite rain, low clouds and flight-line puddles.
Attendance was only about a third of last year’s event cohosted by the U.S. Marine Corps and Navy and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, but spectators stuck it out under umbrellas and in ponchos for the demonstration teams and aircraft showcases.
“At present we’re tracking that there are 41,000 Japanese guests,” Col. Kenneth Rossman, MCAS Iwakuni commander, said during a news conference at the event. Local news reports put the 2025 air show attendance at 130,000.
Low cloud ceilings created visibility challenges and safety concerns for the aerial acts; water on the runway inhibited ground demonstrations.
The U.S. Navy F-35C demonstration team — in starts and stops — showed the jet’s speed and maneuverability. The team’s appearance at Friendship Day was its only appearance outside the U.S. this year.
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Rear Adm. Katsushi Okubo, left, Fleet Air Wing 31 commander, and U.S. Marine Corps Col. Kenneth Rossman, Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni commander, pose for a photo at Friendship Day on MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, May 3, 2026. (Janiqua Robinson/Stars and Stripes)
Spectators wait for the next aerial demonstration during Friendship Day on Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, May 3, 2026. (Janiqua Robinson/Stars and Stripes)
Children enjoy puddles while waiting for the next aerial demonstration during Friendship Day on Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, May 3, 2026. (Janiqua Robinson/Stars and Stripes)
Spectators wait in line for a static display tour during Friendship Day on Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, May 3, 2026. (Janiqua Robinson/Stars and Stripes)
Aircraft enthusiasts lined up early for 7 a.m. admission at the main gate, then headed to the flight line where static displays and food vendors were waiting.
“We’re proud to be able to host this event today and very proud of our alliance,” Rossman said. “I think it’s a great demonstration of our allied capabilities, seeing Japanese and American aircraft operate together. It’s a proud time to be here and to demonstrate our partnership.”
The first Friendship Day took place in 1973 and despite missing a few years in between, the event still draws the local community and travelers from other prefectures.
“For more than 20 years, I’ve been coming to Friendship Day, sometimes in the rain, sometimes in the sun, but always with wonderful friends,” Col. William Millett III, Marine Aircraft Group 12 commander, told the local media.
“We’re really showing what we’ve trained for every day. We make it so it looks a little better for the audience; maybe it’s a little lower or we’re a little closer, but really, they’re all very normal techniques of how we deliver ordinance,” he said.
The acts included Team Fastrax, a professional skydiving team that jumped early, despite the weather, and flyovers by Carrier Air Wing 5 and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force Fancy Drill Team from Hofu Kita Air Base.
Pilots flew demonstrations in the U.S. Marine Corps KC-130J Super Hercules, U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet, two Navy CMV-22B Ospreys and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force US-2, an amphibious turboprop built for air and sea rescues.
“If we can do it in this weather, we can do it in all weather,” Millett said.
