An F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter practices for an aerial demonstration over Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C., in August 2023. (Kyle Baskin/U.S. Marine Corps)
IWAKUNI, Japan — The year’s only overseas appearance by U.S. F-35B and F-35C demonstration teams is set for Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, where the aircraft will headline the annual Friendship Day air show, organizers said.
Officials from the Marine Corps and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force announced plans for the May 3 event during a joint press conference Tuesday at Iwakuni City Hall.
Col. Kenneth Rossman, commander of MCAS Iwakuni, and Rear Adm. Katsushi Okubo, head of Japan’s Fleet Air Wing 31, briefed local media on the annual event, now in its 47th year.
“The 47th iteration will showcase Japanese and U.S. aircraft through both static displays and aerial demonstrations,” Rossman said. “This list may change based on operational requirements, but you can confirm that the White Arrows will perform this year.”
Rear Adm. Katsushi Okubo, commander of Japan's Fleet Air Wing 31, and Col. Kenneth Rossman, commander of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, speak at Iwakuni City Hall on April 14, 2026, about the base's upcoming Friendship Day festival. (Janiqua Robinson/Stars and Stripes)
White Arrows, part of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, perform aerobatic demonstrations in Fuji T-5 training aircraft.
The F-35B Lightning II demo team is based at MCAS Miramar, Calif., and often showcases the fifth-generation fighter’s ability to perform short takeoffs and vertical landings. The F-35C team, from Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif., displays the agility needed for carrier landings.
“We wanted to make sure that we had an F-35 demonstration, so we’re very excited that, for right now, they said that they’re going to come,” Rossman said.
MCAS Iwakuni is home to two F-35B squadrons and one F-35C squadron, the first of which arrived at the air station south of Hiroshima in January 2017.
Festival organizers said attendees should expect increased security at the open-base event, with entry through the installation’s main gate instead of the west gate used last year. Rossman linked the measures to ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
“The events in Iran are very serious,” he said. “With regard to this effort, I’m very proud to be able to continue to hold this event.”
The air show will also mark America’s 250th anniversary, with support from the U.S. State Department and a planned visit by U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass.
