Atsugi was the first Japanese city where U.S. occupation personnel landed in August 1945.
On 28 August 1945, about 150 U.S. personnel flew to Atsugi airfield in Kanagawa Prefecture, one week before the formal surrender ceremony. The landing began the practical process of occupying and demilitarizing Japan, even though the legal surrender would not be signed until 2 September.
General Douglas MacArthur arrived at Atsugi on 30 August. He then established his headquarters in Tokyo and supervised the Allied occupation, which continued until the Treaty of San Francisco took effect on 28 April 1952.
Atsugi is sometimes confused with Tokyo because it was the gateway for the occupation’s leadership and lay near the capital. It is also distinct from USS Missouri’s arrival in Tokyo Bay and from the first postwar landings of larger Allied formations. The initial group’s small size reflected the need to secure the airfield and prepare for the arrival of additional occupation forces.