Sasebo Naval District Sasebo also contained the Sasebo Naval Arsenal , specializing mostly in destroyer s and smaller warships ; and its anchorage was one of the largest in Japan . The District encompassed anchorages at Imari and Hirado ports as well as the designated third echelon naval ports of Takeshiki ( Tsushima ) , Kagoshima , Kuji ( Amami - Ōshima ) , and Wakamatsu ( Gotō Islands ) History . The location of Sasebo facing China and Korea , and near the foreign treaty port of Nagasaki was recognized of strategic importance by the leaders of the early Meiji government and early Imperial Japanese Navy . In 1883 , the then Lieutenant Commander Tōgō Heihachirō nominated what was a tiny fishing village as the ideal location for a naval base . With the formation of the navy in 1886 , Japan was divided into five each with a headquarter . Sasebo was designated as the " Third Naval District " ( 第三海軍区 , " dai - san kaigunku " ) , and its harbor was dredged , a breakwater constructed and docking , coaling and repair facilities for warship s were established , and the military base was officially opened in 1889 . To stress the importance of the base , Emperor Meiji made a personal inspection tour in 1890 . The base was connected to the rest of Japan by rail in 1898 , and the Sasebo Naval Arsenal , which would eventually expand to become one of the largest shipyards in Japan for the construction of smaller warships , began operation in 1903 . As with the other Naval Districts , Sasebo was intended to operate as independently as possible , and facilities included armories , production factories for torpedo es , naval mine s and naval artillery ( and associated ammunition ) , and also a naval hospital and training centers . In concept , the Naval District was similar to the United States Navy Sea Frontier s concept . the Naval District maintained a small garrison force of ships and Naval Land Forces which reported directly to the Guard District commander , and hosted detachments of the on a temporary assignment basis . Sasebo was the closest ship repair facility for the Imperial Japanese Navy to the combat zones of the Russo - Japanese War and saw considerable activity during that conflict . In 1920 , the Japanese navy established an air wing and a wireless communications center in 1922 . In 1934 , the " Tomozuru " capsized off Sasebo with loss of most of its crew , and leaving behind serious questions about the basic design of many Japanese warships . In 1941 , base facilities were expanded considerably for the Pacific War . The base also hosted a major portion of the Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces . The Imperial Japanese Navy had some 60 , 000 people working in the dock yard and associated naval stations at the peak of World War II , outfitting ships , submarine s and aircraft . However , most of the base was destroyed by American air raids on Japan on June 28 , 1945 . After the surrender of Japan , Sasebo was occupied by the U . S . Marine Corps ' Fifth Division , and the Sasebo Naval District was formally abolished on November 30 , 1945 . Part of the former base facilities is still in use by the United States Navy as the United States Fleet Activities Sasebo and by the Japan Maritime Self - Defense Force . One of the former base structures is now a museum .