The hospital at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, seen here on March 31, 2026, will soon begin an eight-year modernization project scheduled to conclude in fiscal year 2035. (Jonathan Baez/Stars and Stripes)
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka, a key medical hub for U.S. forces in Japan, is scheduled to begin an eight-year modernization project worth up to $280 million.
The project includes significant upgrades and renovations, among them updated electrical and HVAC systems and renovated patient areas, including surgical suites and the emergency and radiology departments, Regena Kowitz, spokeswoman for Defense Health Agency Pacific Rim, said by email Saturday.
The contract for the project — estimated to cost between $200 million and $280 million — will be awarded in the coming fiscal year, after which the first phase will begin. The project is expected to conclude in fiscal 2035.
The work will also include the “safe removal of undisturbed asbestos-containing materials,” which Kowitz said were common in construction when the hospital was built in 1980.
“The primary purpose of this alteration project is to create a sustainable, modern medical facility that ensures our ability to continue providing the highest standards of care for years to come,” she wrote.
The Orlando-based joint venture RLF and Sherlock Smith and Adams developed the renovation plan under a contract worth nearly $11 million, according to September 2022 contract announcements from the Department of Defense.
Naval Facilities Engineering Command already contracts with the firm for engineering and design work for medical projects worldwide, according to USAspending.gov.
The work is expansive, but the hospital will remain fully operational and “continue all services throughout the renovation process” thanks to extensive phasing of construction, Kowitz wrote.
Any departments under renovation, such as the emergency department, will be temporarily relocated to fully equipped spaces, she said.
“For the surgery suite modernization, the plan ensures that at least two operating rooms will be available at all times so that we can continue providing surgical care without interruption,” Kowitz wrote.
Parking and traffic, however, will be temporarily affected during various phases of construction, she said.
“To reduce these impacts, a detailed traffic and parking plan will be implemented. Where possible, disruptive work will be scheduled during off-duty hours,” Kowitz wrote. “We will communicate all parking and traffic changes to our patients via social media and other means well in advance to minimize inconvenience as much as possible.”
The modernization adds to a broader wave of construction at the home of the U.S. 7th Fleet.
Other projects include a new, two-story facility that combines a 28-lane bowling center and a Navy Exchange food court, and the construction of three parking garages.
The base is also upgrading four single-sailor apartment towers and building the P-39 Ship Handling and Combat Training Facility, a high-tech training space that includes at least five simulators just 400 yards from Yokosuka’s main gate.
