The entrance to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan. (James Bolinger/Stars and Stripes)

 MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan – Reports of drone sightings at this base south of Hiroshima caused the airfield to temporarily halt military and civilian flights on Sunday evening, according to U.S. military and Japanese officials.

The MCAS Iwakuni control tower notified an All Nippon Airways flight scheduled to land at 6:50 p.m. Sunday at the Iwakuni Kintaikyo Airport that drones were flying at the airport, an official at the Iwakuni office of the West Japan Civil Aviation Bureau told Stars and Stripes by phone Monday.

The company contacted the Civil Aviation Bureau, which in turn checked with the U.S. military, the official said

Commercial aircraft at the Iwakuni Kintaikyo Airport share the runway with aircraft from the U.S. Marines and Navy and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force.

The ANA flight flew a holding pattern while waiting to land at the airport but once low on fuel it diverted to Hiroshima Airport, the official said. Around 8 p.m., the aviation bureau confirmed that the airport had reopened and the plane returned to Iwakuni at 9:41 p.m., the official said.

The airport closure delayed the ANA aircraft’s 7:30 p.m. return to Haneda Airport by more than two hours, he said. Public Broadcaster NHK reported Monday the delay affected about 250 passengers.

“Safety is a priority of MCAS Iwakuni and out of an abundance of caution, the airfield was briefly closed on the evening of December 22, 2024, to investigate alleged drone sightings over the airfield,” base spokesman Maj. Gerard Farao told Stars and Stripes by email on Monday. “Upon determining that there was no threat to aviation safety, the airfield was reopened.”

Farao said he could provide no further details while the incident is under investigation.

“Unauthorized flights over MCAS Iwakuni are in violation of Japanese law,” he said.

An Iwakuni Police spokesman said Monday that police are investigating whether any drones were flying at the time.

Flying drones over restricted defense facilities in Japan may be punishable by imprisonment up to one year or a fine of up to $3,191, according to the National Police Agency website.

This is not the first report of a drone incident at a U.S. base in Japan. In May the Navy investigated overhead photos and videos posted to social media platform X of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan docked at Yokosuka Naval Base.

Drone sightings have been on the rise in the U.S., with many reports last week in New Jersey causing concern among many residents.

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