Miyaji Airfield

The airfield was permanently closed due to irreparable damage sustained during the major Kumamoto earthquakes of April 2016. The seismic activity caused significant ground liquefaction, large cracks, and fissures to appear on the runway, rendering it unsafe and unusable for any aviation activities.

The site of the former airfield has been completely repurposed. A large-scale solar power generation facility, commonly known as a solar farm, has been constructed directly on the land where the runway and associated facilities once stood. Satellite imagery confirms the presence of thousands of solar panels covering the entire area.

Miyaji Airfield, also widely known as the Aso Glider Port (阿蘇グライダー滑空場), was a key hub for recreational gliding in Japan. It was officially classified as a 'Jōgai Rikuchakurijō', an off-airport landing site not registered as a formal airport. Its primary function was to serve soaring clubs, including university aviation groups and members of the Japan Soaring Society. The airfield's strategic location inside the vast Aso caldera offered unique and exceptional soaring conditions due to reliable thermal and ridge lift, making it a highly-regarded and popular destination for glider pilots. Operations consisted of glider launches, typically by winch or aero-tow, on its unpaved grass runway.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the airfield. The conversion of the land into a commercial solar farm represents a long-term change in land use, making a future return to aviation operations extremely unlikely and financially unfeasible.