William With growing global military tenseness and other unpleasantness, an understanding of the role of the Kengun Self-Defense Force base is useful. I had the opportunity to teach there for several years so am slightly familiar with its workings. Not many are aware that it is the headquarters of the SDF Western Army, in charge of defense of Japanese territory from Okinawa (including those islets in dispute with Taiwan and China) through Kyushu. This, of course, makes Kumamoto a prime target should missiles begin to fly. The first link is to an English Wikipedia entry on the Western Army. The second is to a short Japanese Wikipedia entry on Camp Kengun itself which traces its origins as a Mitsubishi fighter plane manufacturing facility from 1941 (the facility used to have an airstrip so as to get its product off the ground) to its present role. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Army_(Japan) https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%81%A5%E8%BB%8D%E9%A7%90%E5%B1%AF%E5%9C%B0