As the closest U.S. air base to Taiwan—the self-ruled island that China has threatened to take by force—the Pentagon plans to ...

(Keishi Koja/Stars and Stripes) Four Japanese soldiers were injured Monday in an explosion at a munitions storage area on Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, according to U.S. Air Force and local officials.

The U.S. Air Force said in a statement that the explosion occurred at the facility managed by the Okinawa prefectural government at Kadena Air Base’s munitions storage area.

U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Catherine Daniel Four members of Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force were injured after a munition exploded on Kadena Air Base on Monday.

Kadena is the closest U.S. air base to Taiwan, located about 370 miles away and within range of Chinese medium-range ballistic missiles.

The demonstration featured U.S. Navy and Air Force aircraft that regularly operate out of Japan’s Kadena Air Base.

Why It Matters Kadena Air Base, located on the island of Okinawa in Japan 's southwestern waters, is the closest U.S. air base to Taiwan with a distance of 370 miles.

The U.S. Air Force said in a statement that the explosion occurred at the facility managed by the Okinawa prefectural government at Kadena Air Base's munitions storage area.

The Kadena elephant walk is among the largest ever by the US Air Force, outnumbering an elephant walk in 2020 at Hill Air Force Base in Utah that only featured F-35A Lightning II aircraft.

The backend of the huge elephant walk at Kadena Air Base, Japan, May 6, 2025. From rear, an E-3 Sentry, RC-135 Rivet Joint, P-8 Poseidon, six KC-135 Stratotankers, two MC-130J Commando II tankers ...