Senchomuta Airfield

The primary reason for its final closure was land redevelopment. The site was repurposed for the construction of the Kokonoe Iida Solar Power Plant (九重飯田太陽光発電所), a large-scale solar farm, making aviation activities no longer possible. This was an economic and land-use decision.

The site of the former airfield is now primarily occupied by the Kokonoe Iida Solar Power Plant, a large-scale photovoltaic power station. The long, straight layout of the former 800-meter runway is still visible on satellite imagery as a service road and path running through the solar panels, but it is no longer an active airstrip. The surrounding area on the Senchomuta plateau is used for agriculture and is part of the scenic Aso-Kujū National Park.

Originally constructed between 1944 and 1945, it was known as the Tachiarai Army Airfield Senchomuta Secret Airfield (大刀洗陸軍飛行場千町無田秘匿飛行場). It served as a secret dispersal base for the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service during the final stages of World War II. Its purpose was to hide and launch fighter aircraft to protect them from increasingly intense Allied bombing raids on major airbases. In the post-war era, the abandoned site was repurposed for general aviation and became a well-known location for glider and motor-glider activities, operated by clubs such as the Oita Prefecture Motor Glider Club, which led to its designation as JP-1832.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Senchomuta Airfield. The construction of the large-scale solar power plant on the former runway and airfield grounds represents a permanent and high-value change in land use, making a return to aviation activities virtually impossible.