Tanegashima Naval Airfield

Military Demobilization. The airfield was an Imperial Japanese Navy base that ceased all operations at the end of World War II following the surrender of Japan. The facility was subsequently abandoned and dismantled as part of the country's post-war demilitarization under Allied occupation.

The site of the former airfield has been completely reclaimed and converted into agricultural land. It is now a vast area of farmland, primarily used for cultivating sugarcane, sweet potatoes, and other local crops. While all major infrastructure such as hangars, barracks, and the control tower have been removed, the faint outline of the two former runways can still be clearly discerned from satellite imagery through the layout of the fields and access roads. The land is now privately owned, and aside from its historical context, it serves a purely agricultural purpose.

Constructed by the Imperial Japanese Navy around 1943-1944, Tanegashima Naval Airfield was a strategic base during the final, desperate stages of the Pacific War. Its location south of the main Japanese island of Kyushu made it critical for homeland defense. The airfield hosted naval air groups (Kokutai) operating fighter aircraft, most notably the Mitsubishi A6M 'Zero'. Its primary missions were to intercept incoming Allied bomber formations targeting southern Japan and to serve as a forward operating and staging base for 'special attack' (kamikaze) units targeting the US Navy fleet, particularly during the Battle of Okinawa. The base was subjected to Allied air raids in 1945 before its eventual closure.

There are zero plans or prospects for reopening the historic Tanegashima Naval Airfield. The island's modern aviation requirements are fully met by the New Tanegashima Airport (IATA: TNE, ICAO: RJFG), which opened in 2006. The former military site is not suitable for modern aviation standards, and its land is now valuable, productive farmland.