Otaru Naval Airfield

The airfield was closed following the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II and the subsequent dissolution of the Imperial Japanese military under the Allied occupation.

The former site of the seaplane base has been completely redeveloped and shows no visible remnants of its military past. The location specified by the coordinates (43.1825, 141.031389) corresponds directly to the present-day Otaru Dream Beach (おたるドリームビーチ), a popular public beach in the Zenibako district of Otaru. The area is now used for recreation and tourism, featuring large parking lots, beach houses, and commercial facilities.

Established on October 1, 1942, the Otaru Naval Airfield was a seaplane base for the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service. It was home to the Otaru Kaigun Kōkūtai (Otaru Naval Air Group), which primarily functioned as an operational training unit for seaplane pilots and crews. The base was strategically located on Ishikari Bay to train crews and conduct patrols. Aircraft operated from this base included reconnaissance and observation seaplanes like the Mitsubishi F1M ('Pete') and the Aichi E13A ('Jake'). Towards the end of the war, its role, like many training units, likely expanded to include coastal defense and anti-submarine patrols around Hokkaido. The identifier JP-1191 is a non-standard ICAO code, likely used in historical archives or flight simulator databases, as official Japanese ICAO codes begin with 'RJ'.

None. There are no known plans, proposals, or prospects for reopening the site as an airport or military facility. The land has been fully integrated into the civilian community as a high-value public recreational and commercial area for decades, making any future conversion to an airfield extremely unlikely.