Maehara Airfield

Economic. The airfield was a privately-owned strip of land. It was sold to the Sharp Corporation for industrial development. The sale was driven by the land's value for commercial use, leading to the permanent closure of the airfield to make way for a new factory.

The site has been completely redeveloped. The former runway and all associated aviation facilities have been demolished. In its place now stands the Sharp Yaita Plant (シャープ矢板工場). This is a major manufacturing facility for the Sharp Corporation, specializing in the production of high-technology electronic components, most notably camera modules used in smartphones and other devices. Satellite imagery clearly shows the large industrial building complex completely occupying the land where the airfield once existed.

Maehara Airfield (known in Japanese as 前原飛行場, Maehara Hikōjō) was a small, private general aviation airfield. It was not a military base or a commercial passenger airport. Its primary function was to serve the local recreational flying community. Operations consisted of light aircraft, ultralights, and gliders, likely managed by a local flying club. It featured a single, relatively short unpaved or grass runway and minimal infrastructure, typical of a small, private airstrip in rural Japan. Its significance was purely local, providing a base for aviation enthusiasts in the Tochigi Prefecture area.

None. The prospect of reopening the airfield is zero. The land has been permanently and completely repurposed for large-scale industrial manufacturing. Re-establishing an airfield would require the acquisition and demolition of the active and economically significant Sharp Yaita Plant, which is not a feasible scenario.