‘Shocked and sad’: US Army Japan’s band is being inactivated, but not before a final concert season

Members of the U.S. Army Japan and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force bands practice at Camp Zama, Japan, Dec. 13, 2023. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)

CAMP ZAMA, Japan – The 296th U.S. Army Japan Band is preparing once more in its history to deactivate as a military unit, but not before a final, 10-month-long concert season.

“Lights of Winter,” marking the December holidays, is the next opportunity to hear the band perform over two nights on Friday and Saturday.

The Army Japan band is shutting down in October for a second time in its 82-year history, which includes service in the Western Pacific during World War II, according to U.S. Army Japan.

Created in January 1941 as the Band, 96th Coast Artillery, it was inactivated in March 1948 before coming back to life in March 1955 at Fort McClellan, Ala., and becoming the official U.S. Army Japan Band, according to the Army.

The Army creates and shuts down units to meet its needs. The U.S. Army Japan Band is being inactivated again to “support the Army’s emergent growth in higher priority requirements” in the Indo-Pacific theater, Maj. Devon Thomas, a spokesman for U.S. Army Japan told Stars and Stripes via email Friday.

The band’s winter holiday concert is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Harmony Hall in Zama city, where it will be joined by the Eastern Army Band of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and one Japanese civilian musician. Admission is free and the performance will be livestreamed on the Army band’s official Facebook page.

‘Winter Lights’

The band’s commander, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Matthew David, told Stars and Stripes during rehearsal Wednesday how he came up with the theme for the final performance.

“I noticed that our beliefs in America are different from Japan, and I wanted to touch on something that connected across cultures,” he said. “Christmas lights are both popular in Japanese and American culture.”

David, of Jacksonville, Fla., enlisted as a clarinet player; he’ll conduct the band during a portion of the final performance.

“Reasons to watch the holiday concert is that you’re supporting our soldiers and your local national soldiers,” David said. “And number two, it’s our last one, so come on out, guys, it’ll be a lot of fun.”

Although the band is playing its final winter holiday concert, it’s also planning a summer concert on July 4th, Thomas said. 

The winter concert will include songs by Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald and from “The Muppet Christmas Carol” movie. Also on the playlist is a Japanese song, “Crescent Moon Dance,” from the anime TV show “Sound Euphonium,” which is about High School Music Club.

The Army band has regularly performed a variety of music for military and public relations functions for the Japanese public as well as the American community in Japan, according to its official website. It performs for more than 3 million people throughout each year.

Kayoko Masaki, who is scheduled to play xylophone and metallophone at the concert, said she has been performing with the Army band for 16 years and regularly performs in its two big concerts on July Fourth and for the holidays.

Masaki, from Tokyo, is a marimba freelancer and teacher at a private school in the Machida district.

“As a marimba player I don’t normally have any opportunity to play with bands in my daily life, so coming in here is a very precious, important and inspiring experience,” she said. “I’ve had such a good experience every single time I come here and play with them. I’m so shocked and sad. I’m very thankful for the [U.S. Army Japan] Band. They kept inviting me to play, even though the commander has changed several times since I started performing with them.”

Members of the U.S. Army Japan Band practice at Camp Zama, Japan, Dec. 13, 2023. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)

Members of the U.S. Army Japan and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force bands practice at Camp Zama, Japan, Dec. 13, 2023. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Matthew David, commander of the U.S. Army Japan Band, conducts U.S. and Japanese musicians during a joint rehearshal at Camp Zama, Dec. 13, 2023. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)

Members of the U.S. Army Japan and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force bands practice at Camp Zama, Japan, Dec. 13, 2023. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)

‘Sad for all of us’

Sgt. 1st Class Hoshi Takashi, a trumpet player with the Eastern Army Band, is marking two firsts in his career — performing with the U.S. Army band and playing Christmas classics. 

“Our army band is very serious, but with the U.S. Army Band they seem to really enjoy the music but are also very passionate about it,” he said at rehearsal. “They have been very impressive and it’s inspiring me a lot.”

Staff Sgt. Benjamin Garnett, a vocalist, has been with the band since January and told Stars and Stripes that its members feel very fortunate to have the Japanese Eastern Army Band join them for this performance.

“The holiday show is something that we put a lot more thought into a lot more careful planning between music and the production,” said Garnett, of Frankfort, Ky. “The rehearsals have been a great experience with making new friends. It has been a lot of hard work but very rewarding.”

Garnett said he will be headed out next summer to Fort Jackson, S.C.

“It’s very sad for all of us,” he said about the band being inactivated. “I have great respect for Japanese nationals and being stationed in this country. They have a deep appreciation for music and the arts. And so, whenever we go to play a concert out in Japan like we’re about to, we know that we will be very well received.”