As part of a U.S. Army Japan study tour, 24 members of the collective Zama City Residents’ Association visited Camp Zama to tour the installation and learn about the mission of U.S. Army Garrison Japan.

The group first received a briefing on the role of U.S. Army Garrison Japan and its mission. They also toured the U.S. Army Japan headquarters building and got a look at past USARJ commanders. They then toured several locations on the installation, including the Otakebi Shrine, the Soubudai monument, and even the Emperor’s air-raid shelter. They even visited the Zama Chuton-chi historical archive room for a look at the history of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy, which was previously headquartered at Camp Zama. The tour ended with lunch at the JGSDF Zama Chuton-chi dining facility. Col. Thomas R. Matelski, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Japan, and Col. Masayuki Amako, commander of the 4th Engineer Group and Zama Chuton-chi, joined the group.

The Zama City Residents’ Association consists of 176 local neighborhood associations within Zama city and includes more than 27,000 family units.