Yokohama Customs officials have cracked down on the U.S. Naval Air Facility Atsugi and their practice of opening a pizza restaurant up to the Japanese public every other Saturday.

The goodwill gesture got into trouble and the restaurant was forced to close to outsiders when people started taking pizzas, which are not subject to Japanese sales tax, off base.

The officials say that once the pizza has been removed from the U.S. base, it is subject to Japanese taxes. Since the taxes were not paid, the move violates the Status of Forces Agreement, which spells out how the U.S. military can operate in Japan.

Yokohama Customs initially turned a blind eye to practice, but it finally had to do something when it started getting out of hand. Last month, about 1,000 Japanese people showed up at the restaurant to take advantage of its relatively cheap fare.

Base officials currently are trying to come up with a fix for the problem, so Japanese visitors can have their pizza and eat it too. (Sorry! )