Akasaka Press Center

Akasaka Press Center (also known as Hardy Barracks and Azabu Heliport) is a facility of the United States Army, Japan located in the Roppongi area of Minato, Tokyo.

Akasaka Press Center
赤坂プレスセンター
Minato, Tokyo, Japan
Main building and helipad as viewed from Roppongi Hills (part of Hardy Barracks building visible to left)
Coordinates35°39′48″N 139°43′32″E
CodeHDY
Area26,937 m2
Site information
Controlled byUnited States Army
Garrison information
GarrisonUnited States Army Garrison Japan
Airfield information
IdentifiersICAO: RJ01
Elevation97 feet (30 m) AMSL

The facility occupies 3.1 hectares of land in central Tokyo. It houses the Tokyo offices of Stars and Stripes, the Tokyo division of the Office of Naval Research,[1] and the Hardy Barracks, an accommodation facility for military personnel. The base also houses a helipad and gasoline pump. The United States Army has officially stated that the helipad is meant to be used during emergency situations in Tokyo, while the mayor of Minato City has stated that "we have been told in response to inquiries that the details of how the base is used cannot be released publicly."[2]

The heliport is periodically used by civilian helicopters for official purposes such as medical evacuation of patients from the Ogasawara Islands under a 2008 agreement between the US military and Tokyo metropolitan government.[3][4] Michael Jackson boarded a Black Hawk helicopter from the site in March 2007.[5]

The site was previously the base of the 3rd Infantry Regiment, 1st Division, Imperial Japanese Army, one of the units involved in the February 26 Incident of 1936. The unit was sent to Manchuria later that year, and the site then housed units of the Imperial Guard through the end of World War II. The United States military took over the entire site in 1945.[6] A large portion of the facility was returned to Japan in 1962 and used by the University of Tokyo Institute of Industrial Science until 2001; this area is now occupied by The National Art Center, Tokyo and the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies.

There has been organized local opposition to the facility since 1967, and both the Tokyo metropolitan assembly and Minato municipal assembly have unanimously resolved to request that the facility be removed.[7]

The facility is located near other US government installations in central Tokyo including the United States Embassy (2.5 km to the northeast) and the New Sanno Hotel (2.2 km to the south).

  • Main building
  • Main entrance viewed from street
  • U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel arriving at the base in a UH-60 Black Hawk, 2014
  • Hardy Barracks building viewed from street
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References
  1. "The military community of mainland Japan". Stripes Japan. Archived from the original on 5 January 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  2. McNeill, David (9 May 2006). "Local fury at Hardy perennial". The Japan Times. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  3. Ogawa, Hiroo (9 August 2015). "沖縄・普天間だけじゃない　東京にも残る「米軍基地問題」". BLOGOS. Archived from the original on 6 January 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  4. "U.S. OKs using military facilities for evacuation | Japan Update". www.japanupdate.com. Retrieved 2017-01-05.
  5. "Michael Jackson thrills the crowd during Camp Zama visit".
  6. "歩兵第三聯隊・近衛歩兵第五聯隊・近衛歩兵第七聯隊跡". Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  7. "麻布へリポート". 東京合同法律事務所. Archived from the original on 5 January 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
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