Osaba Airstrip

Military Decommissioning. The airfield was a military installation built by the Imperial Japanese Army. It ceased operations following Japan's surrender at the end of World War II and the subsequent dissolution of the Japanese military.

The site has been completely repurposed and integrated into the local landscape. The former runway's path is now a distinctively long and straight section of the Yamaguchi Prefectural Road Route 501 (山口県道501号山口秋穂線). The surrounding land has been converted into agricultural fields (primarily rice paddies), residential areas, and some light commercial/industrial facilities. A stone monument (慰霊碑 - Ireihi) has been erected near the site to commemorate the airfield and the members of the Special Attack units who were based there.

Osaba Airstrip, known in Japanese as the Former Army Osaba Airfield (旧陸軍小鯖飛行場), was constructed around 1944 during the final stages of World War II. Its primary purpose was to serve as a homeland defense base for the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service. The airfield was used as a training facility for fighter pilots and as a dispersal base to protect aircraft from Allied bombing raids on major airbases. Most notably, it served as a sortie base for Special Attack (Kamikaze) units, specifically the Shinten Seikūtai (振天制空隊), tasked with intercepting and attacking US B-29 bombers and defending the industrial regions of western Japan. The airfield was never fully completed and saw limited operational use before the war ended.

None. There are no plans or prospects for reopening the site as an airport. The land has been fully redeveloped for civilian use for over 75 years, with a public road, homes, and farms now occupying the former military installation. Re-establishing an aviation facility at this location is not feasible.