Ohara Airfield

The airfield was a military installation of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Following the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II in August 1945, all Japanese military facilities were demobilized and disarmed under the Allied occupation. Ohara Airfield ceased operations as part of this nationwide demilitarization process.

The site of the former airfield has been completely redeveloped and is now used for heavy industry. The majority of the land is occupied by the Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. Hiroshima Factory (常石造船 広島工場). The original runways and military structures have been demolished, and the layout of the factory now covers the former airfield grounds. To preserve its history, a stone monument commemorating the Ohara Naval Airfield and the personnel who served there has been erected near the site.

Constructed by the Imperial Japanese Navy around 1943-1944, Ohara Airfield was a critical late-war military installation. Its primary purpose was to support the defense of the vital Kure Naval District, one of the main bases of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The airfield served as a training base for naval pilots and operated various aircraft. In the final, desperate stages of the war, it gained grim significance as a forward base for 'Kamikaze' (Special Attack) units. Notably, the 'Kikusui' special attack units were stationed here, launching missions against the approaching Allied naval forces during the Battle of Okinawa.

There are no plans or prospects for reopening Ohara Airfield. The land has been permanently and completely repurposed for large-scale industrial use. Re-acquiring the land and demolishing a major, active shipyard to convert it back to an aviation facility is economically and logistically infeasible.