Ami Airfield

Military Conversion. The airfield was not closed in the sense of being abandoned. It was repurposed from a former Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) facility into an active Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) base. This conversion ended its availability for any potential civil or public aviation, leading to the 'closure' of its non-military designation.

The site is currently an active and major military installation known as JGSDF Camp Kasumigaura. The airfield itself is operational under the ICAO code RJAK. It serves as the primary training center for JGSDF helicopter pilots and mechanics, housing the JGSDF Aviation School, as well as maintenance and supply depots. The base is fully equipped with runways, helipads, hangars, and a large fleet of military helicopters. The camp also hosts a public information center and museum that preserves and displays the history of the site from its IJN origins to the present day.

The site has immense historical significance in Japanese aviation. It was originally established in 1922 as the Kasumigaura Naval Air Group, one of the earliest and most important air bases for the Imperial Japanese Navy. It served as the principal training center for a vast number of IJN pilots, navigators, and maintenance crews before and during World War II. A notable event was the landing of the German airship LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin here in August 1929 during its historic round-the-world flight. After the war, the facility was transferred to the newly formed JSDF and became the home of the JGSDF Aviation School.

There are no plans or prospects for reopening the airfield for civil or public use under its former designation. It is a critical, high-security military installation central to the operations and training of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force's aviation branch, and its military function is permanent and well-established.