Kanagawa Prefectural Police arrested 45-year-old Yoshitaka Mizuno, an employee of a major Japanese trading company, on suspicion of violating the Special Criminal Act under the Japan-U.S. status-of-forces agreement. Mizuno, who had returned from work in Iraq earlier that day, is accused of entering the U.S. Navy's Yokosuka base without authorization on October 23 last year using a fake ID card. The case came to light after he was cited for a parking violation near his home in Tokyo's Minato Ward.
On February 20, 2026, Kanagawa Prefectural Police arrested Yoshitaka Mizuno, a 45-year-old employee of a major Japanese trading company, on suspicion of trespassing into the U.S. Navy's Yokosuka base in violation of the Special Criminal Act under the Japan-U.S. status-of-forces agreement.
Mizuno had returned from a work assignment in Iraq earlier that day. According to investigative sources, he told police, "I was attracted to the U.S. military and wanted to interact with them as much as possible." He is suspected of entering the base without authorization on October 23, 2025, using a fake ID card and driving a rented car. At the base, he reportedly rented the vehicle for about two weeks and drove it in and out of the facility.
The trespassing came to light when the Metropolitan Police Department cited him for a parking violation near his home in Tokyo's Minato Ward. Outsiders require an ID card issued by the U.S. military or accompaniment by U.S. personnel to enter such facilities, which Mizuno lacked.
The prefectural police are investigating how he obtained the forged ID and its uses. He is also suspected of illegally entering U.S. military facilities on multiple other occasions. The Japan-U.S. status-of-forces agreement governs the status of U.S. forces in Japan, and violations like this are strictly enforced.
The incident has drawn attention to security around U.S. bases and civilian interactions with military personnel.
