Yomitan Airfield

Military Conversion and Land Return. The airfield was closed as part of the US-Japan Special Action Committee on Okinawa (SACO) agreement to consolidate and reduce the United States military footprint on the island. The closure was driven by decades of strong local opposition from the residents of Yomitan village due to noise, safety concerns from parachute training exercises, and the desire for the land to be returned for local economic and community development.

The former airfield site has been completely redeveloped and returned to civilian use. The land now hosts the Yomitan Village municipal office, a community center, a large sports and recreation park (Yomitan Athletic Field), schools, commercial facilities, and extensive residential housing. The layout of some local roads follows the path of the former runways and taxiways, but there are no remaining aviation facilities. The area is now a thriving center of the local community.

Yomitan Airfield has profound historical significance, primarily related to World War II. Originally constructed by the Imperial Japanese Army in 1944, it was the primary objective of the American invasion of Okinawa on April 1, 1945 (L-Day). US Army and Marine Corps forces captured the airfield on the first day of the battle. It was quickly repaired and expanded by US Army engineers and became a major operational base for the US Army Air Forces, hosting P-47 Thunderbolt fighters and other aircraft supporting the campaign. On September 7, 1945, the surrender of Japanese forces in the Ryukyu Islands was signed at the airfield. Post-war, it was used by the US Air Force and later the US Marine Corps as a communications facility and, most notably, as the primary parachute drop zone for special forces units like the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne).

None. There are absolutely no plans or prospects for reopening the site as an airfield. The land has been fully and permanently redeveloped for public, residential, and commercial purposes, making any future aviation use infeasible.