Misawa Air Base is located approximately 400 miles north of Tokyo, adjacent to Misawa City in Aomori Prefecture, (pop. approx. 42,000) in Tohoku. There are about 5,200 U.S. military personnel assigned to Misawa, along with 300 U.S. civilian employees and 900 local national employees.

Misawa Air Base is unique in that it's the only combined, joint service installation in the western Pacific. Units representing all four U.S. services are assigned here as well as the Japan Air Self Defense Force, or JASDF.