Iwaki Army Airfield

The initial closure was a direct result of the demilitarization of Japan after its surrender in World War II. The site's current inaccessibility and repurposing are due to the catastrophic 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which caused the meltdown at the nearby Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The former airfield is located within the highly contaminated and restricted nuclear exclusion zone.

The site of the former airfield is no longer recognizable. It is located immediately north of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and has been completely repurposed as a core component of the Interim Storage Facility (ISF). This vast, highly secure facility is used by the Japanese government to store millions of cubic meters of contaminated soil, debris, and other radioactive waste collected from the extensive decontamination efforts throughout Fukushima Prefecture. The area is highly restricted and dedicated solely to the management of nuclear disaster waste.

Iwaki Army Airfield, also known as Haranomachi South Airfield (原町陸軍飛行場), was a significant base for the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service (IJAAS) during World War II. It was primarily used as a training facility for fighter pilots. Towards the end of the war, it gained notoriety as a base for preparing and launching kamikaze special attack missions. The airfield hosted various fighter units and was a target for Allied bombing raids during the final months of the Pacific War.

There are zero prospects for reopening the airfield. The land is critically contaminated and serves an essential, long-term role in the national project to decommission the Fukushima Daiichi plant and manage its radioactive waste. The site will remain a restricted industrial area for storing hazardous materials for the foreseeable future, making any return to aviation use impossible.