The U.S. Army opened new headquarters Wednesday for its 1st Corps at Camp Zama in Kanagawa Prefecture as part of a bilateral agreement in 2006 to reorganize the U.S. forces in Japan.
A ceremony to mark the opening was held at the camp, which straddles the cities of Zama and Sagamihara, but both mayors plus Kanagawa Gov. Shigefumi Matsuzawa declined to participate out of opposition to the transfer of the headquarters from the state of Washington.
About 200 citizens meanwhile staged a protest rally around the base.
At the ceremony attended by about 150 people, including U.S. military brass in Japan, Defense Ministry officials and the 60-member HQ contingent, the 1st Corps commander, Lt. Gen. Charles Jacoby, called for strengthening ties with Japan.