Hetsugi Airfield

Military Decommissioning. The airfield ceased all military operations following the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II. After the war, it was briefly controlled by Allied occupation forces but was not put into significant use and was subsequently returned to the Japanese government for civilian redevelopment.

The site has been completely redeveloped and is unrecognizable as an airfield today. The main north-south runway has been paved over and repurposed into a long, straight section of Oita Prefectural Route 622. The surrounding land is now occupied by a mix of urban and agricultural infrastructure, including the Oita City Central Wholesale Market (大分市公設地方卸売市場), other industrial facilities, rice paddies, and residential areas. To commemorate the site's past, a peace monument (平和の碑, Heiwa no Hi) has been erected near the former runway, dedicated to the memory of the airfield and the pilots who served there.

The airfield was officially known as Oita Army Airfield (大分陸軍飛行場, Oita Rikugun Hikoujou) and colloquially as Hetsugi Airfield (戸次飛行場, Hetsugi Hikoujou). Constructed by the Imperial Japanese Army around 1943-1944, it was a strategic base during the final years of WWII. Its primary role was to host fighter units for the air defense of Kyushu against Allied B-29 bomber raids. It was notably home to the 56th Sentai, which flew the advanced Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate 'Frank' fighter. Towards the end of the war, the airfield gained grim significance as a launch point for Kamikaze (special attack) missions. Units such as the 244th Shinbu-tai were stationed here and flew sorties against the Allied fleet. The base was a target for Allied air attacks before its closure.

None. The airfield has been defunct for over 75 years, and the land is now fully integrated into the civilian infrastructure of Oita City. There are no plans or prospects for reopening the site as an airfield. The aviation needs of the Oita Prefecture are served by the modern Oita Airport (IATA: OIT, ICAO: RJFO) and the smaller Oita Central Airfield (ICAO: RJDO).