The crowd gathers at the front gate to get into Friendship Day aboard MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, May 5, 2012. Friendship Day is an annual event aboard the station, which attracted more than 285,000 people, to officially celebrate the long-standing friendship between the U.S. and Japan. - The crowd gathers at the front gate to get into Friendship Day aboard MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, May 5, 2012. Friendship Day is an annual event aboard the station, which attracted more than 285,000 people, to officially celebrate the long-standing friendship between the U.S. and Japan.