JGSDF Camp Takikawa Airfield

Military Reorganization. The airfield was closed as a direct result of a major restructuring within the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF). The 11th Division, to which the airfield's aviation unit belonged, was reorganized into the 11th Brigade. During this process, the resident 11th Aviation Squadron (第11飛行隊) was disbanded. Its functions and helicopter assets were consolidated and transferred to the newly established 11th Helicopter Unit based at Camp Okadama (co-located with Sapporo Okadama Airport), rendering the airfield at Camp Takikawa redundant.

The site remains an active military installation, JGSDF Camp Takikawa (陸上自衛隊滝川駐屯地), but it no longer functions as an operational airfield. The former runway and helipad areas have been repurposed. Satellite imagery shows the space is now used as a large parade ground, vehicle park, and a general-purpose training area for the engineering and logistics units currently stationed at the camp, such as the 10th Engineer Battalion.

The airfield was the home base for the JGSDF's 11th Aviation Squadron, which provided critical air support for the 11th Division. Its primary operations involved rotary-wing aircraft, including the OH-6 Cayuse observation helicopter and the UH-1 Iroquois utility helicopter. These aircraft performed reconnaissance, personnel and cargo transport, medical evacuation, and liaison missions throughout central Hokkaido. The airfield was an integral part of the JGSDF Northern Army's operational capabilities, ensuring mobility and rapid response for the division it supported.

There are no known or publicly discussed plans to reopen the airfield. The land has been fully integrated into the camp's infrastructure for ground unit training. The JGSDF's aviation assets in the region are now consolidated at larger, more strategically located bases like Camp Okadama. A reopening is considered highly improbable unless there is a significant change in Japan's defense posture or a new strategic requirement for an aviation facility in the Takikawa area.