Yachimata Airfield

The airfield was a military installation for the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force. It ceased all operations and was abandoned following the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II. With the dissolution of the Japanese military, the base was decommissioned.

The site of the former airfield has been completely repurposed. Immediately after the war, the land was reclaimed for civilian use, primarily for agriculture to address post-war food shortages. Today, the area consists of a mixture of agricultural fields, residential housing, and several large-scale solar panel farms. The original layout of the runways and taxiways is no longer physically present, but its faint outline can still be traced in the arrangement of local roads and farm plots visible in satellite imagery.

Historically known as Yachimata Army Airfield (八街陸軍飛行場), it was constructed between 1944 and 1945 during the final stages of World War II. Its strategic purpose was to serve as a fighter base for the air defense of the Tokyo metropolitan area and the surrounding Kanto Plain against Allied B-29 bomber raids. The airfield primarily housed fighter-interceptor units of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force, including those flying aircraft like the Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien ("Tony"). It was one of several hastily built airfields intended to bolster Japan's homeland defense as the war drew to a close.

There are no plans or prospects for reopening Yachimata Airfield. The land has been privately owned and used for non-aviation purposes for over 75 years. Furthermore, its close proximity to Narita International Airport (RJAA), one of the world's busiest airports, would make any new aviation activity in the area unfeasible due to conflicts with existing controlled airspace.