US bases in Tokyo area pause, prepare for approaching Typhoon Ampil (2024)

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Warships of the U.S. 7th Fleet quickly made their way toward open ocean Thursday as their homeport prepared for Typhoon Ampil’s arrival on Friday.

Ampil at 3 p.m. Thursday was heading north toward Tokyo at 15 mph, with sustained winds of 104 mph and gusts of 127 mph, securing its status as a Category 2-equivalent storm, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

U.S. military bases in the greater Tokyo area rescheduled events planned for Friday and Saturday, including a new school year “sneak peek” at Yokota Air Base and a Japanese festival at Naval Air Facility Atsugi. Base residents were advised to stock up on supplies and tie down loose objects as the storm approached.

Ampil is forecast to pass just about 90 miles southeast of Yokosuka and the Kanto Plain, home to numerous U.S. and Japanese military bases and major cities like Tokyo and Yokohama. It could reach Category 4 by 9 a.m. Friday, with sustained winds of 132 mph and gusts of 161 mph, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

At Yokota, an airlift hub in western Tokyo and the headquarters of U.S. Forces Japan, base commander Col. Richard McElhaney ordered mission-essential personnel only to report on Friday.

On Thursday at Yokosuka, about 25 miles southwest of Tokyo, residents stocked up on essentials, workers secured loose objects and guided-missile destroyers steered for Tokyo Bay.

The Navy routinely sends its warships to sea in the event of a storm to reduce potential damage to the ships and piers. Yokosuka is home to more than a dozen vessels, but just four were in port Thursday afternoon.

The base moved into Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness 2 on Thursday morning, meaning winds of 57.5 mph or higher are expected within 24 hours.

Preparations for TCCOR 1, meaning high winds are possible within 12 hours, began around 5 p.m. Thursday. The base expected to enter TCCOR 1 no later than 7 a.m. Friday.

Most non-essential services, including gyms, shops and routine services at Naval Hospital Yokosuka, will be closed Friday. A shelter for those who live off base and don’t feel safe will be established at the base’s Fleet Recreation Center.

Base residents are being encouraged to “ensure they are stocked up on water, food and supplies and to start securing loose items outdoors and conducting general cleanup to reduce flying debris as winds increase,” base spokesman Justin Keller said by email Wednesday night.

Camp Zama, a U.S. Army base 27 miles southwest of Tokyo, moved into TCCOR Storm Watch around 2:30 p.m. Thursday and warned residents to anticipate heavy rains. Storm Watch status doesn’t anticipate destructive winds but allows for preparations in case the storm deviates from its path.

Naval Air Facility Atsugi, 29 miles southwest of Tokyo, on Thursday afternoon declared TCCOR 3, the possibility of destructive winds within 48 hours, and planned to close the base to non-essential personnel between noon Friday to 9 a.m. Saturday, base spokesman Greg Mitchell said by email Thursday.

“This will be extended if storm conditions or effects warrant. The Navy Exchange, and Commissary will also abide by this direction. [Morale Welfare and Recreation] services have been shortened as well, while the Galley will run at normal hours,” he wrote. “The health and safety of our staff, service members and their families is of utmost importance to us.”

Japan was also preparing for the storm, with numerous road closures due to the typhoon and plans to cease bullet train operations between Tokyo and Nagoya stations all day Friday, according to the Nippon Express Co. and Central Japan Railway Co. websites.

Ampil comes in the middle of Japan’s Obon holiday season — a peak travel period that coincides with an annual Buddhist festival that began Saturday and concludes Sunday.

Yokosuka’s U.S. Naval Ship Repair Facility rescheduled its own Obon festival from Friday to Aug. 30; Atsugi’s celebration was rescheduled to Sunday.

See Stars and Stripes’ Pacific Storm Tracker for frequent storm updates.

Stars and Stripes reporter Dave Ornauer contributed to this report.