A street performer entertains visitors to the annual Spring Festival at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, March 22, 2025. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Three U.S. military bases in Japan have canceled or restricted attendance at their spring festivals amid heightened security measures, scaling back events that typically draw tens of thousands of local visitors.
Annual festivals at naval bases in Yokosuka and Sasebo were canceled outright, while the spring open house at U.S. Army Japan’s headquarters near Tokyo will be limited this year to people who already have base access.
The changes follow stricter security measures imposed earlier this month by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, including increased identification checks and vehicle inspections at base entry points, due to threats linked to the war against Iran by the United States and Israel that began Feb. 28.
Yokosuka, home of the U.S. 7th Fleet, announced March 6 that it was canceling its annual Spring Festival scheduled for March 21. Last year’s event drew more than 55,000 people, more than double the base’s population of about 27,000.
In a Facebook post, the base apologized “for the inconvenience and hardship that this abrupt cancellation may cause.”
Public opposition in Yokosuka to the Iran war appears limited. A small, five-day protest began Monday outside the base’s main gate, with about a dozen participants from a local denuclearization group joining on Tuesday.
A small group protests the Iran war outside Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, March 17, 2026. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)
Sasebo Naval Base, home of the Navy’s amphibious ready group, including the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli, also canceled its Fleet Friendship Day scheduled for April 18. The base announced the decision in a March 13 Facebook post.
The Tripoli, homeported at Sasebo, and roughly 2,500 members of the Okinawa-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, are among the U.S. forces being dispatched to the Middle East, multiple news outlets reported March 13.
Representatives from Yokosuka and Sasebo referred questions to Navy Region Japan. Spokeswoman Zoe Stagg said the decision to cancel events came after careful consideration but declined to say whether the Middle East conflict was a factor.
“Open base events on our U.S. Navy installations are an incredible opportunity to celebrate our partnership with our hosts and local communities,” she wrote in an email Tuesday. “Each community event is important to us, and we will continue to evaluate the schedule for future events.”
At Camp Zama, the Army’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival remains scheduled for March 28 but will be limited to those with base access and their guests, according to a Facebook post.
Other spring festivals at U.S. bases in Japan, including events on Okinawa, remained scheduled as of Wednesday afternoon.
Stars and Stripes reporters Brian McElhiney, Janiqua Robinson and Seth Robson contributed to this report.
