Yokosuka Naval Base: Possible Mpox Exposure Closes Bowling Center
A possible mpox exposure closes the bowling center at Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, home of the U.S. 7th Fleet. A visiting sailor with symptoms had been there on Nov. 4. Two cases are confirmed aboard the ship, and none on the base.
A possible mpox exposure closes the Bowling Center at Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, home of the U.S. 7th Fleet. The alley has been shut since Nov. 5, 2026, for deep cleaning and sanitizing, according to the base's Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) program.
A service member from a visiting ship went to the center between about 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Nov. 4. The person reported symptoms the following day, MWR said in a Facebook post.
The center was "closed immediately, out of an abundance of caution, not because additional spread has been detected," the post said. MWR announced the closure on Nov. 5 in a separate post but gave no reason at the time.
Cases aboard the ship
Two related cases have been reported aboard the ship over the past two weeks. No confirmed cases have appeared among the Yokosuka Naval Base community, according to the post.
The announcement did not name the ship. It also did not say whether the sailor who visited the bowling center is one of the two confirmed cases.
Both people with confirmed infections were isolated as soon as symptoms showed, the command said. Close contacts were identified through contact tracing, offered vaccinations and placed under daily medical monitoring.
Risk and what visitors should do
"Mpox does not spread easily," the command said. It spreads mainly through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact, and less commonly through shared objects or fabrics. Brief contact in a public setting, such as bowling on a nearby lane, is considered a low health risk.
Mpox, formerly known as monkey pox, is a viral illness. According to the World Health Organization, it can cause a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes, fever, headache, pain and low energy. Most people fully recover, but some become very sick from infection and other complications.
Anyone who visited the bowling center on the evening of Nov. 4 should monitor for symptoms through Nov. 25, MWR said. Those who develop symptoms should call the U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka advice line before seeking in-person care and mention the possible exposure.
The number is 070-7601-5392 from a Japanese mobile phone, or +81-70-7601-5392 from abroad.
The center will reopen once disinfection is complete and preventive medicine personnel clear it to resume operations. No reopening date has been announced. Base spokespeople did not immediately respond to email and phone requests for comment.
