The U.S. Air Force issued an all-clear notice at Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo on Thursday after an apparent bomb threat forced the evacuation of personnel from a number of sites at the base, which also serves as the headquarters of U.S. Forces Japan.
Base personnel, including service members and U.S. and Japanese civilian employees, had been ordered to evacuate the base’s 374th Airlift Wing headquarters, a residential tower and several other buildings at around 10:20 a.m., the base said in a post to Facebook, while the main entrance, a service entrance and several surrounding roads were temporarily closed.
The 374th Security Forces completed sweeps of the affected areas and declared them safe to resume normal operations at around 1 p.m., the base said in a statement, with all affected gates and roads reopened for regular traffic.
No injuries were reported in the incident, it added.
The Yokota base is home to some 14,000 personnel. It has also been home to Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force Air Defense Command Headquarters since 2012. Top U.S. officials — including presidents — usually fly into the base when visiting Japan.
The area near the base has been the scene of suspected attacks by extremists, including an apparent homemade mortar attack in 2009 and another in 2013.