Narimasu Airfield

Military conversion and subsequent return to host nation. After being taken over by U.S. forces in September 1945, the airfield's primary function was discontinued. The runways and facilities were demolished to construct 'Grant Heights,' a large residential complex for U.S. military personnel and their families. The final closure in 1973 was part of a broader agreement to return U.S. military-occupied land to Japan for urban redevelopment.

The site has been completely redeveloped and shows no visible trace of its original runways. The area is now a large, planned community centered around Hikarigaoka Park, one of the largest public parks in Tokyo. The former base land also hosts the extensive Hikarigaoka Park Town housing complex, numerous schools, commercial facilities including the IMA shopping center, and Hikarigaoka Station on the Toei Oedo subway line. A few subtle historical markers, such as a preserved gate post from the Grant Heights era, exist within the park to commemorate the area's past.

Narimasu Airfield was a critically important airbase for the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force during World War II. Constructed in 1943, its primary mission was the air defense of Tokyo. It was famously the home base of the 47th Sentai (47th Fighter Regiment), an elite unit known as the 'Shinten Seikutai' (Heaven-Shaking Air Superiority Unit), which flew the Nakajima Ki-44 'Shoki' (Allied codename: 'Tojo') interceptor. Pilots from Narimasu engaged in fierce battles against U.S. B-29 Superfortress bombers raiding the capital. After the war, its transformation into 'Grant Heights' made it one of the largest American communities in Tokyo during the occupation, symbolizing the post-war U.S. presence in Japan. It included schools, a hospital, a theater, and housing for thousands of American families.

There are zero plans or prospects for reopening Narimasu Airfield. The land has been permanently and densely redeveloped into a major public park and a high-population residential and commercial zone. Re-establishing an airport at this location is physically and politically impossible.