Kawakita Airfield

Military Demobilization. The airfield was a base for the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service and was abandoned following Japan's surrender at the end of World War II. Its military purpose ceased to exist, and it was never converted for civilian use.

The site has been completely converted to civilian use. The former airfield grounds are now primarily agricultural land, used for farming and dairy pasture, and are part of a large-scale agricultural development known as the Kawakita Pilot Farm. While the faint outlines of the former runways are still visible in satellite imagery, there are no remaining aviation facilities or structures.

Kawakita Airfield, historically known as Kawakita Naval Airfield (川北海軍航空基地), was a military airbase for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the final years of World War II (c. 1943-1945). Its primary strategic role was to defend northern Japan, including Hokkaido and the Kuril Islands (Chishima Islands), from potential Allied (US and Soviet) attacks. It hosted patrol and fighter aircraft as part of the IJN's northern defense strategy. The airfield never handled scheduled commercial or civilian flights. The ICAO code JP-0624 is an unofficial, modern designation used in some databases to catalogue historical sites, not an official code from its operational period.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Kawakita Airfield. The region's aviation needs are adequately served by the nearby Nakashibetsu Airport (RJCN), and the land has been successfully repurposed for agriculture for over 75 years, making any redevelopment as an airport highly improbable and economically unfeasible.