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James Bolinger

James Bolinger is a reporter at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan.

He previously served at Vance Air Force Base, Okla., where he spent nearly seven years as the NCOIC of public affairs covering specialized undergraduate pilot training. He began his career as editor of the Airlifter newspaper at Dover Air Force Base, Del., then headed to the Defense Information School where he served as a journalism instructor from 2009 to 2011.

Email: bolinger.james@stripes.com

Venus Resto Bar near Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, sits empty March 30, 2020.<br>Christian Lopez/Stars and Stripes
Venus Resto Bar near Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, sits empty March 30, 2020.<br>Christian Lopez/Stars and Stripes

Off-base businesses in Japan feel the squeeze of US military’s anti-virus measures

“We still get a few Japanese locals and some of their foreign friends come in,” said Mary Jane, the owner of Venus Resto Bar near Yokosuka, “but with the Americans restricted to base, business is noticeably slower since there isn’t much volume.”

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A Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to Carrier Air Wing 5 at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, disconnects from a KC-135 Stratotanker while training on Jan. 10, 2020.<br>Cynthia Belio/U.S. Air Force
A Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to Carrier Air Wing 5 at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, disconnects from a KC-135 Stratotanker while training on Jan. 10, 2020.<br>Cynthia Belio/U.S. Air Force

Navy Super Hornet loses refueling cover while training off Okinawa coast

The jet belongs to Strike Fighter Squadron 115 and was training with Air Force F-15 Strike Eagles from Kadena when the part was lost, according to a report in the Okinawa Times newspaper.

Rib House, a popular restaurant and bar near Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, has been placed off limits to U.S. personnel "due to illegal drug activity and other related criminal activity."<br>James Bolinger/Stars and Stripes
Rib House, a popular restaurant and bar near Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, has been placed off limits to U.S. personnel "due to illegal drug activity and other related criminal activity."<br>James Bolinger/Stars and Stripes

Marines declare popular Iwakuni barbecue restaurant off-limits after owner’s drug arrest

The restaurant's owner, Phillip Christopher Azevedo, a Marine Corps veteran, was taken into custody Dec. 21 on suspicion of marijuana possession, according to a Japanese police spokesman.

A trainee at Air Force basic military training signs into his new computer at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, Dec. 11, 2019, as part of an initiative that provides instructors with immediate feedback about trainee performance.<br>Sarayuth Pinthong/U.S. Air Force
A trainee at Air Force basic military training signs into his new computer at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, Dec. 11, 2019, as part of an initiative that provides instructors with immediate feedback about trainee performance.<br>Sarayuth Pinthong/U.S. Air Force

Air Force turns to tablet computers, online study guides to improve basic training

The Air Force is using tablet-style computers and web-based study guides during basic military training to reinforce classroom lessons and track trainees’ progress, officials said Monday.

Raku Beer in Hiroshima, Japan, has a variety of craft beers from IPAs to stouts on tap.<br>James Bolinger/Stars and Stripes
Raku Beer in Hiroshima, Japan, has a variety of craft beers from IPAs to stouts on tap.<br>James Bolinger/Stars and Stripes

Raku Beer offers 15 Japanese craft beers

Iwakuni, the city that lends the nearby Marine Corps air station its name, is a wonderful place to live, but it lacks one thing: a pub-style establishment with a large selection of craft beer.

Marine Corps Sgt. Alberto Ruiz, a loadmaster with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152, lays flowers during the unveiling of a memorial at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Dec. 5, 2019. The memorial honors five Marine aviators killed last year in a midair collision off Japan.<br>Tyler Harmon/U.S. Marine Corps
Marine Corps Sgt. Alberto Ruiz, a loadmaster with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152, lays flowers during the unveiling of a memorial at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Dec. 5, 2019. The memorial honors five Marine aviators killed last year in a midair collision off Japan.<br>Tyler Harmon/U.S. Marine Corps

‘Who they were, what they gave’: Iwakuni Marines dedicate memorial to victims of 2018 midair collision

A section of a propeller recovered from the wreckage of the Dec. 6, 2018 collision is included in the new memorial, which was unveiled at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni on the first anniversary of the accident.

This screenshot from a GoFundMe page shows Janet Castillo, left, who was struck by a motorcycle and then hit by a vehicle near Sasebo Naval Base, Japan, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019.<br>GoFundMe
This screenshot from a GoFundMe page shows Janet Castillo, left, who was struck by a motorcycle and then hit by a vehicle near Sasebo Naval Base, Japan, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019.<br>GoFundMe

Online fundraiser for family of injured Sasebo sailor quickly surpasses $10,000 goal

Janet Castillo, a 20-year-old sailor, was leaving a Christmas gathering Saturday when she was struck by a motorcycle and then run over by another vehicle outside Sasebo Naval Base, according to the fundraiser.