Camp Zama
Encyclopedia
is a United States Army
post located in the cities of Zama
and Sagamihara
, in Kanagawa Prefecture
, Japan, about 40 km (24.9 mi) southwest of Tokyo.
Camp Zama is home to the U.S. Army Japan (USARJ)/I Corps (Forward), the U.S. Army Japan Aviation Detachment "Ninjas" (Provisional), the 500th Military Intelligence Brigade
, the Japan Engineer District (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers), the 78th Signal Battalion and the 4th Engineer Group of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
.
near the foothills of the Tanzawa
Mountain Range, Kanagawa Prefecture. The installation falls in the Zama City limits while the two housing areas, Sagami Depot and Sagamihara Family Housing Area
(SFHA), are located in the adjacent Sagamihara City. Once considered rural, this area has transformed into an urban area. New housing developments and communities along with shopping centers have increased the population and made traffic extremely congested. Traveling from Tokyo and outlying U.S. military installations to Camp Zama averages from 1.5 to 3 hours depending on the time of day. The best method to travel to Camp Zama is utilizing the extremely reliable local public transportation train system. The closest train station to Camp Zama is the Odakyū Line's
Sōbudai-mae Station
.
to travel to review the graduating classes. The Emperor Showa, or Hirohito
visited Camp Zama in 1937. Camp Zama also houses an emergency shelter for the Emperor, and to this day, it has been maintained by the US Army Garrison Japan (17th ASG). The Camp Zama theater workshop is the only building remaining from the pre-occupation era. It is a large hall that was used for ceremonies by the Imperial Japanese Army
.
The camp had been attacked, for the first time, by pro-leftist extremists when a bomb exploded outside the camp in 2002.
Personnel from the base assisted with Operation Tomodachi
following and during the March 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
and Fukushima I nuclear accidents. During the crisis, around 300 American family members voluntarily departed the base for locations outside Japan.
is comparable to Washington, D.C.
There are four distinct seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The summers are normally hot and very humid, the winters are cold, but usually have little or no snow
.
operates several public schools in the base.
Higher educational opportunities for those in the military and working for the Department of Defense, as well as for family members at Camp Zama are available through several contracted academic institutions. For example:
http://www.asia.umuc.edu
were the original Imperial Japanese Army
buildings used to house Japanese imperial army officer candidates during World War II
, and subsequently house U.S. troops during the occupation.
In 1980, a new high school was built on the hill near the original site, and the historical barracks were subsequently torn down. The high school still serves the American School community for the U.S. dependents in the Camp Zama / Sagamihara / Sagami Depot / Kamiseya
/ Atsugi areas.
In 1987, the school split into Zama American Middle School and Zama American High School.
ZAHS alumni enjoy an active alumni association and bi-yearly reunions that draw members from all over the globe.
Zama American High School celebrated its 50th graduating class anniversary in June, 2009.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
post located in the cities of Zama
Zama, Kanagawa
is a city located in central Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The city is also home to the United States' Camp Zama Army base. As of 128,989, the city had an estimated population of 128,989 and a density of 7,320 persons per km². The total area was 17.58 km²....
and Sagamihara
Sagamihara, Kanagawa
is a city located in north central Kanagawa Prefecture, bordering Tokyo, Japan. It is the third most populous city in the prefecture, after Yokohama and Kawasaki, and the fifth most populous suburb of Greater Tokyo. Its northern neighbor is Machida, with which a cross-prefectural merger has been...
, in Kanagawa Prefecture
Kanagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...
, Japan, about 40 km (24.9 mi) southwest of Tokyo.
Camp Zama is home to the U.S. Army Japan (USARJ)/I Corps (Forward), the U.S. Army Japan Aviation Detachment "Ninjas" (Provisional), the 500th Military Intelligence Brigade
500th Military Intelligence Brigade (United States)
The 500th Military Intelligence Brigade is a United States Army brigade, subordinate to United States Army Intelligence and Security Command and is based at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii.* 500th Military Intelligence Brigade...
, the Japan Engineer District (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers), the 78th Signal Battalion and the 4th Engineer Group of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
The , or JGSDF, is the army of Japan. The largest of the three services of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, the Ground Self-Defense Force operates under the command of the chief of the ground staff, based in the city of Ichigaya, Tokyo. The present chief of ground staff is General Yoshifumi Hibako...
.
The Camp
Camp Zama is close to the Sagami RiverSagami River
The is a river in Kanagawa and Yamanashi Prefectures on the island of Honshū, Japan.The upper reaches of the river in Yamanashi prefecture are also sometimes known as the , and the portion near the river mouth as the...
near the foothills of the Tanzawa
Tanzawa
are mountain range in the Kantō region, in Japan. It covers the northwestern part of Kanagawa Prefecture and touches the prefectural borders of Shizuoka Prefecture to the west and the Yamanashi Prefecture to the north.-Mountains:...
Mountain Range, Kanagawa Prefecture. The installation falls in the Zama City limits while the two housing areas, Sagami Depot and Sagamihara Family Housing Area
Sagamihara Housing Area
Sagamihara Housing Area is an area of land designated as living space for United States Military personnel and Department of the Army Civilians in Sagamihara, Kanagawa prefecture, Japan. American soldiers who are stationed at Camp Zama may live in SHA instead of living on the main post...
(SFHA), are located in the adjacent Sagamihara City. Once considered rural, this area has transformed into an urban area. New housing developments and communities along with shopping centers have increased the population and made traffic extremely congested. Traveling from Tokyo and outlying U.S. military installations to Camp Zama averages from 1.5 to 3 hours depending on the time of day. The best method to travel to Camp Zama is utilizing the extremely reliable local public transportation train system. The closest train station to Camp Zama is the Odakyū Line's
Odakyu Electric Railway
, or OER, is a major railway company based in Tokyo, Japan best known for its Romancecar series of limited express trains from Tokyo to Odawara, Enoshima, Tama New Town, and Hakone....
Sōbudai-mae Station
Sobudai-mae Station
is a railway station in the city of Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, served by the Odawara Line of the Odakyū Electric Railway.The station is 36.9 rail kilometers from the Odawara Line’s terminal at Shinjuku Station...
.
History
Camp Zama was the Imperial Japanese Army Academy. Route 51 is a road to Camp Zama that was specifically built in order for the Emperor of JapanEmperor of Japan
The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...
to travel to review the graduating classes. The Emperor Showa, or Hirohito
Hirohito
, posthumously in Japan officially called Emperor Shōwa or , was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order, reigning from December 25, 1926, until his death in 1989. Although better known outside of Japan by his personal name Hirohito, in Japan he is now referred to...
visited Camp Zama in 1937. Camp Zama also houses an emergency shelter for the Emperor, and to this day, it has been maintained by the US Army Garrison Japan (17th ASG). The Camp Zama theater workshop is the only building remaining from the pre-occupation era. It is a large hall that was used for ceremonies by the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
.
The camp had been attacked, for the first time, by pro-leftist extremists when a bomb exploded outside the camp in 2002.
Personnel from the base assisted with Operation Tomodachi
Operation Tomodachi
is a United States Armed Forces assistance operation to support Japan in disaster relief following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. As of March 22, 2011, twenty U.S. naval ships, 140 aircraft, and 19,703 Marines and Sailors were involved in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief...
following and during the March 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
and Fukushima I nuclear accidents. During the crisis, around 300 American family members voluntarily departed the base for locations outside Japan.
Weather
The weatherWeather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
is comparable to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
There are four distinct seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The summers are normally hot and very humid, the winters are cold, but usually have little or no snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
.
Education
The United States Department of DefenseUnited States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
operates several public schools in the base.
- Arnn Elementary School
- Zama Middle School
- Zama American High School
Higher educational opportunities for those in the military and working for the Department of Defense, as well as for family members at Camp Zama are available through several contracted academic institutions. For example:
http://www.asia.umuc.edu
- University of Maryland University CollegeUniversity of Maryland University CollegeThe University of Maryland University College is located in the unincorporated community of Adelphi in Prince George's County, Maryland in the United States. Serving over 90,000 students worldwide, UMUC is the largest 4-year public university in Maryland and one of the largest distance learning...
- Central Texas CollegeCentral Texas CollegeCentral Texas College is a community college located in Killeen, Texas, which was founded in 1965.As defined by the Texas Legislature, the official service area of CTC comprises the following:...
- The University of PhoenixUniversity of PhoenixThe University of Phoenix is a for-profit institution of higher learning. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Apollo Group Inc. which is publicly traded , an S&P 500 corporation based in Phoenix, Arizona...
Zama American High School (ZAHS)
The Zama American High School first opened in 1959. It was opened to, and continues to serve, American dependents of U.S. Military and civilian employees stationed in the area, as well as U.S. Contractors. It was built at the bottom of 'General's Hill' on the north side of Camp Zama and remained there until 1968. In 1968, the school Principal, Mr. Richard A. Pemble, had the high school and Jr. High 'switched', and the high school then occupied two wooden army barracks close to the main gate. The barracksBarracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
were the original Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
buildings used to house Japanese imperial army officer candidates during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and subsequently house U.S. troops during the occupation.
In 1980, a new high school was built on the hill near the original site, and the historical barracks were subsequently torn down. The high school still serves the American School community for the U.S. dependents in the Camp Zama / Sagamihara / Sagami Depot / Kamiseya
Naval Support Facility Kamiseya
is a detachment of U.S. Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan. The facility is located on the Kantō Plain, approximately three miles northeast of NAF Atsugi, and 7.55 miles WNW of Yokohama. The base consists of 587 acres with 110 acres within the fence line...
/ Atsugi areas.
In 1987, the school split into Zama American Middle School and Zama American High School.
ZAHS alumni enjoy an active alumni association and bi-yearly reunions that draw members from all over the globe.
Zama American High School celebrated its 50th graduating class anniversary in June, 2009.
External links
- Zama Alumni Association Website
- Zama American High School Official Website (public)
- USARJ and 9th TSC Camp Zama Web site
- http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/camp-zama.htm
- Site dedicated to alumni of Camp Zama American High School. Pictures, artifacts, history, memorabilia, etc.
- Yearbooks on-line: Zama American High School yearbooks online - all yearbooks from the first year the school opened in 1959 to 2000.
- The Official 1956th Communications Group/374th Communications Squadron, Operation Location - C Alumni Website.