FLEET ACTIVITIES YOKOSUKA, Japan—Capt. Jonathan Hopkins, Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY), welcomed two family members of Minakichi Kosano to honor his legacy at a lunch in the Admiral Arleigh A. Burke Officers' Club Kosano Dining Room on January 27.
The installation commander had an opportunity to learn more about the base's history and how the friendship between the Japanese and U.S. communities developed.
Keizo Kosano, the son of Minakichi Kosano, was joined by Mitsuyo Fukushima, the elder Kosano's granddaughter. The older Kosano is an important figure to both the installation's history and the redevelopment of the city. His name lives on in Kosano Park and in the dining room that hosted the meal. Both spaces have connected the base to its host city over the last four decades.
From 1955 to 1982, Minakichi Kosano served as president of the Yokosuka Chamber of Commerce. Much of this 27-year term was during an era when the relationship between the installation and the surrounding community was being forged. Kosano became a de facto representative, serving as a familiar, steady presence. He was a civic leader who moved between cultures and helped keep communication open. His influence on the U.S. Navy presence in Japan was so widely felt that he was playfully—and respectfully—given an honorary title that does not exist in the naval register: Commander, U.S. Eighth Fleet.
Some major festivals held both on and off base were at least partially accredited to Kosano. The annual Yokosuka Mikoshi Parade, generally held in October, was first held in 1977. Kosano played a role in making it a joint celebration. CFAY Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) famously participates and is often one of the highlights of the parade. The team is comprised of volunteers throughout the base community wearing traditional Japanese ceremonial clothing and carrying a portable shrine over their shoulders called a mikoshi while dancing to the drumbeats and whistles. A year earlier, in 1976, the Yokosuka Friendship Festival was held for the first time. The creation of this event was credited in part to Kosano's efforts to strengthen the relationship between the city and base. Today, this festival typically aligns with the city's Kaikoku Matsuri, or Opening of the Country Festival. The Kaikoku Festival started in 2003, commemorating Commodore Matthew C. Perry's Black Ship Fleet's arrival.
Kosano died in January 1984 at the age of 80. Within months, the Navy moved to preserve his memory. According to a non-credited June 8, 1984 article in The Seahawk base newspaper, Adm. Sylvester R. Foley Jr., then Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet and a friend of Kosano's, presided over the dedication of Kosano Park on June 1, 1984. Kosano's family attended, including his son Keizo, who watched the unveiling of the plaque and marker that remain on base today. The tribute extended to the Officers' Club as well, where the main dining room was formally named the Kosano Dining Room following the ceremony in the park.
Both of these dedications occurred hours after the Commodore Matthew C. Perry General Mess, then simply named the Enlisted Dining Facility, held a grand opening and hosted its first meal service. It was a busy day for the installation commander, Capt. Walter T. Dziedzic Jr., Photographer's Mate3rd Class Marla Taylor, and the U.S. 7th Fleet Band, who all attended the three events that morning.
Today, base community members know Kosano Park as the green space near the installation's aforementioned General Mess. The park is famed for its cherry blossoms in spring and often serves as a popular site for reenlistment ceremonies. On clear nights, the park offers a unique view of Mikasa Park and Yokosuka's skyline. It's also home to the USS Oneida International Peace Memorial, Badger Square, a living cherry blossom tree memorial honoring the victims of 9/11, and a commemoration celebrating the 1st Japan-America Cherry Blossom Festival.
Long before his name was carved into plaques, Kosano's daily life played out in the city itself. He owned and ran a traditional kimono shop, Osano Shoten, located in the Mikasa Building. The Mikasa Building has a storied history and legacy deserving of its piece. It's the covered shopping street near Yokosuka-Chuo Station. It opened in 1959. The structure was a glimpse of where modern Japanese urban planning was headed, and it became the heartbeat of this port city. Today, Sailors might call the area Mikasa Shopping Plaza, Mikasa Tunnel, Mikasa Shopping Street, or Mikasa-dori, but for Kosano, it was simply where he put in the work.
It's from this complex—home to dozens of shops and vendors—which Kosano practiced and preached his style of personal diplomacy out of his storefront. His leadership helped to build trust, smooth friction, and was critical to ensuring the base's relationship with its host city remained steadfast when it mattered most.
Kosano's contributions were formally recognized with the U.S. Navy Public Service Medal, the highest award the Department of the Navy can bestow on a private citizen. He was the first non-U.S. citizen to be honored with the award.
More than 40 years later, Kosano Park remains what it has always been. It's a place to breathe, gather and mark milestones. It's also a place for thought and remembrance.
Take a walk through Kosano Park today and remember that alliances are upheld not only by policy and posture but also by the daily work of people willing to bridge the distance.