Kodonbaru Airfield

Military Decommissioning. The airfield was an Imperial Japanese Army facility that was closed and dismantled following Japan's surrender at the end of World War II and the subsequent demilitarization of the country by Allied occupation forces.

After the war, the land was returned to civilian use, primarily as agricultural farmland. In the 2010s, the majority of the former airfield site was redeveloped into a large-scale solar power plant, known as the Asagiri Kogen Solar Power Plant. The distinct layout of the former runways is no longer visible, having been completely covered by solar panels. Some small wartime remnants, such as a concrete bunker, may still exist in the surrounding area.

Kodonbaru Airfield (上院台飛行場, Kōdonbaru Hikōjō) was constructed by the Imperial Japanese Army between 1943 and 1944 during the final stages of World War II. Its primary purpose was to serve as a training base for pilots. As the war situation deteriorated for Japan, its role shifted to that of a forward operating base for 'tokkōtai' (Special Attack Units, or kamikaze) to intercept the anticipated Allied invasion of Kyushu (Operation Downfall). The airfield housed units such as the 105th Sentai, equipped with aircraft like the Nakajima Ki-27 fighter. The base was targeted and bombed by American B-29s and carrier-based aircraft in 1945 before it could be used extensively for its intended kamikaze mission.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Kodonbaru Airfield. The site's complete conversion into a major solar energy farm makes any future use for aviation purposes highly improbable.