Kanonji Airfield

The direct cause for closure was a fatal accident involving an ultralight aircraft that crashed into the nearby Saita River shortly after takeoff. This incident raised significant safety concerns, leading the landowner (Kagawa Prefecture) to not renew the lease with the flying club that operated the airfield, effectively forcing its permanent closure.

The site of the former airfield has been fully repurposed and is now integrated into the Kagawa Prefectural Kotohiki Park (香川県立琴弾公園). The area where the runway once existed is now a large, multi-purpose open plaza and green space. It is used for public recreation, community events, and as an auxiliary parking area for the park and nearby attractions like the Zenigata Sunae (a large sand sculpture of a coin). All aviation-specific infrastructure, such as hangars or markers, has been removed. The faint, straight outline of the former runway is still visible as a track within the park.

Kanonji Airfield was a small, non-commercial airstrip, officially classified as a 'nōgai richakurijō' (農外離着陸場), or an 'off-field landing strip'. It was not a commercial airport with scheduled flights but served the local general aviation community. Its primary use was for recreational flying, particularly for ultralight aircraft (ULPs) and motor gliders. The facility consisted of a single unpaved, grass-and-dirt runway approximately 400-500 meters in length, located on reclaimed land at the mouth of the Saita River. It was operated by a local aviation club.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Kanonji Airfield. The land has been successfully repurposed for public recreational use for over a decade. Given that the closure was a result of a fatal accident and the site is now a core part of a prefectural park, its return to aviation use is considered extremely unlikely.