In Japan, US military feels the squeeze as accident fears grow at heliport surrounded by skyscrapers

The WWII-era Hardy Barracks heliport is today surrounded by a densely packed area of tower blocks, homes and the busy Roppongi shopping district

Local authorities in Tokyo want the base shut down, citing the growing potential for accidents and the poor safety record of some US aircraft

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A military helicopter flies over Tokyo in 2020. The completion of new tower blocks in the Japanese capital will further restrict air access to the Hardy Barracks heliport that’s used by the US. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:30am, 5 Sep 2023

Concerns are growing over the safety of a heliport in central Tokyo used by the US military and embassy personnel, as a slew of new skyscrapers threaten to further narrow the already-tight air corridor into the facility.

Local authorities say at least six more tower blocks are under construction within 1km (1,090 yards) of the heliport, known as Hardy Barracks.

The base was originally under the command of the Imperial Japanese Army until it was commandeered by Allied occupation forces after Japan’s wartime surrender in 1945. Covering 2.7 hectares (6.7 acres) in Tokyo’s Roppongi district, it now houses a hotel for US forces personnel and is the site of the Japanese bureau of the Stars and Stripes military newspaper.

A view of Tokyo’s Roppongi district, home to a sprawling nightlife and shopping area near the Hardy Barracks heliport. Photo: AP

Its convenient location in the heart of one of the world’s biggest and most densely populated capitals means that senior US government and military officials frequently use the heliport, with former president Donald Trump landing there during official visits to Japan in 2017 and 2019.

And while the heliport had unobstructed access to the sky in the years immediately following World War II, that is no longer the case. Hardy Barracks is now surrounded by tower blocks, a densely packed area of homes and schools, and the sprawling nightlife and shopping district of Roppongi. Nine towers at least 100 metres (330 feet) tall surround the base and an additional six will be completed in the next couple of years, the Mainichi newspaper reported.

A new flight path into the capital’s Haneda International Airport, which was opened in 2020 and directly traverses the area, has further complicated matters.

The local government of Tokyo’s Minato ward has long expressed concerns about the US’ use of the base and the potential for accidents, and the imminent completion of new tall structures in the area has only added urgency to its campaign.