Beasley Field

Post-war military drawdown and strategic consolidation. Beasley Field was a temporary forward airfield built for the Battle of Okinawa. With the end of World War II, the immediate need for numerous tactical airfields ceased. U.S. air power in the region was consolidated into larger, more permanent bases like Kadena Air Base and MCAS Futenma, rendering smaller fields like Beasley obsolete.

The site of the former Beasley Field has been completely redeveloped and shows no visible remnants of its wartime past. The land is now occupied by the Ocean Expo Park (Kaiyōhaku Kōen), a large national park that was established for the International Ocean Exposition held in 1975. The park is a major tourist destination and is home to the world-renowned Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, the Tropical Dream Center, and the Oceanic Culture Museum.

Beasley Field, officially known as Motobu Airfield, was a significant U.S. Marine Corps airbase constructed during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. Built rapidly by U.S. Navy Seabees (53rd and 71st Naval Construction Battalions) on the Motobu Peninsula, it featured a single 5,000-foot runway surfaced with crushed coral. The airfield was primarily used by Marine Air Groups (including MAG-31 and MAG-33) flying fighter aircraft such as the Vought F4U Corsair and Grumman F6F Hellcat. Its operations were critical for providing close air support to ground forces in the final, brutal stages of the battle and for neutralizing remaining Japanese positions. The airfield was also intended to be a key staging point for the planned invasion of mainland Japan, Operation Downfall, which was cancelled after Japan's surrender. The field was named in honor of Major Charles E. Beasley, Jr., a Marine Corps pilot of VMF-312 who was killed in action over Okinawa on May 25, 1945. The ICAO code 'JP-1995' is a non-official identifier, likely used in flight simulator software, and not a recognized historical code.

Zero. There are no plans or prospects for reopening the airport. The land has been fundamentally transformed into a major national park and one of Okinawa's most important tourism and cultural assets. Redevelopment for aviation purposes is infeasible and has never been considered.