Camp Zama Camp Zama is home to the U . S . Army Japan ( USARJ ) / I Corps ( Forward ) , the U . S . Army Japan Aviation Detachment " Ninjas " ( Provisional ) , the 500th Military Intelligence Brigade , the Japan Engineer District ( U . S . Army Corps of Engineers ) , the 78th Signal Battalion and the 3rd Engineer Group of the Japan Ground Self - Defense Force . The Camp . Camp Zama is close to the Sagami River near the foothills of the Tanzawa Mountain Range , Kanagawa Prefecture . The installation falls in the Zama City limits while the two housing areas , Sagami Depot and Sagamihara Family Housing Area ( SFHA ) , are located in the adjacent Sagamihara City . Once considered rural , this area has transformed into an urban area . New housing developments and communities along with shopping centers have increased the population and made traffic extremely congested . Traveling from Tokyo and outlying U . S . military installations to Camp Zama averages from 1 . 5 to 3 hours depending on the time of day . The best method to travel to Camp Zama is utilizing the extremely reliable local public transportation train system . The closest train station to Camp Zama is the Odakyū Line ' s Sōbudai - mae Station . History . Camp Zama locates on the former site of Imperial Japanese Army Academy , which was named " Soubudai " ( ) by Emperor Showa . Route 51 is a road to Camp Zama that was specifically built in order for the Emperor of Japan to travel to review the graduating classes from Machida Station . The Emperor Showa , or Hirohito visited Camp Zama in 1937 . Camp Zama also houses an emergency shelter for the Emperor , and to this day , it has been maintained by the US Army Garrison Japan ( 17th ASG ) . The Camp Zama theater workshop is the only building remaining from the pre - occupation era . It is a large hall that was used for ceremonies by the Imperial Japanese Army . The camp has been attacked several times by terrorists , for the first time when a bomb exploded outside the camp in 2002 by the " Revolutionary Army " with another one in 2007 . In March 2007 , the U . S . singer Michael Jackson visited the camp to greet 3 , 000 plus U . S . troops and their families . Jackson was flown in on a Black Hawk helicopter from Hardy Barracks in Tokyo and addressed the frenzied crowd at the Yano Fitness Center gymnasium located on the base : “ It ’ s an honor and a privilege to be here , ” Jackson told the spectators . “ You people are among the most special in the world because you haven chosen a life of service . Because of you here today and others who have given their lives , we can enjoy our freedom at home . I thank you from the bottom of my heart , and I love you . " Col . Robert M . Waltemeyer , Commander U . S . Army Garrison Japan , presented Jackson with a Certificate of Appreciation for his devotion to U . S . Military troops and their families . Personnel from the base assisted with Operation Tomodachi following and during the March 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and Fukushima I nuclear accidents . During the crisis , around 300 American family members voluntarily departed the base for locations outside Japan . Education . The United States Department of Defense operates several public schools in the base . Higher educational opportunities for those in the military and working for the Department of Defense , as well as for family members at Camp Zama are available through several contracted academic institutions . For example : Arnn Elementary School . The Sagamihara Elementary School opened in September 1951 with 300 students , ten teachers , and a principal . It started in a building purchased from the Japanese Government . This original building was destroyed by fire in 1976 . Three temporary buildings were constructed in the summer of 1976 on the community play area across the street from the original school site . Later in 1978 three new buildings were completed on the original site and the campus was completed in 1983 . These buildings served as the school until the new school replacement project was completed in May 2003 . Fall 2003 , the new John O . Arnn ES opened . Zama American High School . The Zama American High School , also known as ZAHS , first opened in 1959 . It was opened to , and continues to serve , American dependents of U . S . Military and civilian employees stationed in the area , as well as U . S . Contractors . It was built at the bottom of " General ' s Hill " on the north side of Camp Zama and remained there until 1968 . In 1968 , the school Principal , Mr . Richard A . Pemble , had the high school and Jr . High ' switched ' , and the high school then occupied two wooden army barracks close to the main gate . The barracks were the original Imperial Japanese Army buildings used to house Japanese imperial army officer candidates during World War II , and subsequently house U . S . troops during the occupation . In 1980 , a new high school was built on the hill near the original site , and the historical barracks were subsequently torn down . The high school still serves the American School community for the U . S . dependents in the Camp Zama / Sagamihara / Sagami Depot / Kamiseya / Atsugi areas . In 1987 , the school split into Zama American Middle School and Zama American High School . ZAHS alumni enjoy an active alumni association and bi - yearly reunions that draw members from all over the globe . Zama American High School celebrated its 50th graduating class anniversary in June , 2009 . In June 2012 , the school was placed on accreditation probation by accreditation agency AdvancED . AdvancED ' s report cited an " obstructive and negative climate perpetuated by an intimidating , manipulative minority of staff members at the school " as the main source of problems with the learning environment at the school . The school has until April 2013 to correct the problem , or it may be stripped of its accreditation . In response , in August 2012 DoDEA transferred union representative Brian Chance , identified as one of those reportedly contributing to the conflicts between faculty and administrators at the school , to Germany . One teacher was fired . Six other teachers were also transferred or elected to retire in lieu of accepting a transfer .