Ojojihara Airfield

Military Decommissioning. The airfield was a base for the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service and was closed following Japan's surrender at the end of World War II. All Japanese military installations were disarmed and dismantled under the terms of the surrender.

The site of the former airfield has been completely repurposed and is now an integral part of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) Ojojihara Maneuver Area (王城寺原演習場, Ōjōjihara Enshūjō). This is one of the largest and most important military training grounds in Japan, used for extensive live-fire exercises, artillery practice, and large-scale maneuvers by the JGSDF and occasionally joint exercises with U.S. forces. The original runways and aviation facilities no longer exist; the land is now an active and restricted military training zone.

The airfield was originally established as the Ojojihara Army Airfield (王城寺原陸軍飛行場, Ōjōjihara Rikugun Hikōjō). During World War II, it was a significant military installation for the Imperial Japanese Army. It served as a major training base for army pilots and housed several air regiments (Sentai). Towards the end of the war, it gained notoriety as a key base for preparing and launching 'Special Attack' (Tokkōtai, or Kamikaze) missions against Allied naval forces. Its operations were a critical part of Japan's military efforts in the Tohoku region.

None. The site is an active, essential, and heavily utilized military training area for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. There are no known plans, proposals, or prospects to convert it back into a functioning airfield for either military or civilian use.