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5 Cents Tachikawa Air Base
| Issuer | Airmen's Open Mess Complex, Tachikawa Air Base |
|---|---|
| Year | 1945-1977 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Blue paper with black letterpress text. Issuer name and base identification occupy the left panel, with a bold numeral "5" enclosed in a ruled rectangular cartouche at right. Red serial number and the caution legend "NOT GOOD IF DETACHED" appear in the lower left. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | AIRMEN'S OPEN MESS COMPLEX TACHIKAWA AIR BASE NOT GOOD IF DETACHED 5 CENTS |
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| Comments |
Tachikawa Air Base, located southwest of Tokyo, operated as a major U.S. Air Force logistics hub throughout the postwar occupation and into the Cold War period. The Airmen's Open Mess scrip system was entirely internal — these notes circulated only within the mess complex itself, functioning as a substitute for U.S. currency to prevent American dollars from leaking into the Japanese economy, a persistent concern for military administrators trying to control black market activity.
The date range spans the occupation era through the base's eventual closure in 1977, though individual print runs within that window are difficult to sequence with confidence. Tachikawa was formally returned to Japan in 1977, ending one of the longer continuous American military presences on the Japanese home islands.