Datehara Airfield

Economic reasons and land redevelopment. The city of Tokamachi, which owned the land, chose to repurpose the underutilized site for a more economically productive use. The decision was made to lease the land for the development of a large-scale solar power facility, which offered a stable revenue stream and aligned with renewable energy goals.

The site of the former airfield has been completely transformed into the 'Cross Ten Mega Solar Power Plant' (クロステン・メガソーラー発電所). The entire length of the former runway is now covered with thousands of solar panels. The distinctive long, narrow shape of the airfield is still clearly visible in satellite imagery, but it is now a renewable energy generation facility.

Datehara Airfield was officially designated as a 'jōgai richakuriku-jō' (場外離着陸場), or 'off-field landing site', rather than a public airport. Established around 1991, its primary function was to serve as the home base for the Tokamachi Glider Club. It was a key local site for recreational gliding and soaring in the Niigata Prefecture. The facility featured a single unpaved/grass runway, approximately 800 meters long and 45 meters wide, which also occasionally hosted ultralight aircraft and other light aviation activities. The ICAO code 'JP-1361' was an unofficial identifier used within the aviation community and for flight simulators, not an official code assigned by the ICAO.

There are zero plans or prospects for reopening Datehara Airfield. The land has been permanently and fundamentally repurposed with the construction of the solar power plant, a significant, long-term infrastructure investment. A return to aviation use is considered infeasible.