The first U.S. personnel landed at Atsugi Airfield when the Allied occupation of Japan began on 28 August 1945.
About 150 American personnel flew to Atsugi, in Kanagawa Prefecture, on 28 August. Their arrival marked the beginning of the occupation, which was organized under General Douglas MacArthur as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers.
MacArthur himself arrived in Japan on 30 August. Allied forces then expanded their presence, including the landing of the 4th Marines on the southern coast of Kanagawa and the airlift of the 11th Airborne Division from Okinawa.
Atsugi is sometimes confused with Haneda, the airport associated with Tokyo, or Yokota, another important U.S. airfield in Japan. The early occupation landing at Atsugi was a carefully planned step after the cease-fire and before the formal surrender ceremony.