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Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, is home to Marine Aicraft Group 12, Carrier Air Wing 5 and other tenant commands.

Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, is home to Marine Aicraft Group 12, Carrier Air Wing 5 and other tenant commands. (James Bolinger/Stars and Stripes)

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MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan — One case of the coronavirus reported Tuesday at this base in southern Japan turned out to a false positive, MCAS Iwakuni announced in a statement Thursday.

The person had driven in a private vehicle from Kansai Airport before entering the mandated, 14-day quarantine at MCAS Iwakuni, the statement said.

Marine officials learned of the error Thursday from Japanese officials. The test result was “miscommunicated,” according to the statement.

In a separate case, the air station said a group that tested positive after arriving Monday posed a low risk of exposure, based on contact tracing by Japanese health authorities and authorities at MCAS Iwakuni.

Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kano on Tuesday identified the group as a U.S. military family of three. He said the family misled authorities at Haneda Airport in metro Tokyo on Sunday and took a commercial flight Monday to Iwakuni.

U.S. military personnel arriving in Japan aboard commercial flights are barred from using domestic air travel or other public transportation to reach their destination.

“The circumstances of this incident are still under investigation,” the statement said. “Failure to abide by the policies in place increases the risk to our host nation and local population and may result in administrative or disciplinary action.”

bolinger.james@stripes.com Twitter: @bolingerj2004

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