Nashigahara Airfield

Military reorganization and consolidation. Nashigahara Airfield was a military facility operated by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF). It was closed as part of a strategic review of JGSDF assets. Its functions were deemed redundant, and air support for the training area was consolidated at other, larger JGSDF airbases and heliports. The closure was a military decision, not related to civilian economic factors or a specific accident.

The site of the former airfield has been completely repurposed and is now the location of the Nashigahara Mega Solar Power Plant. The large, flat, and cleared expanse of the former runway and taxiways made it an ideal location for a large-scale photovoltaic facility. Satellite imagery clearly shows the entire area covered by solar panels, although the faint outline of the original runway is still discernible.

Nashigahara Airfield was a military airstrip integral to the JGSDF's North Fuji Maneuver Area (Kita-Fuji Enshūjō), one of Japan's largest military training grounds located at the base of Mount Fuji. The airfield was never open for public or commercial use. Its primary role was to support ground force exercises by handling JGSDF liaison and observation aircraft (such as the Fuji LM-1 Nikko and Cessna L-19 Bird Dog), helicopters, and potentially STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) aircraft. It served as a vital asset for transport, reconnaissance, and logistical support during military drills in the vast maneuver area.

There are no plans or prospects for reopening Nashigahara Airfield. The land has been permanently and significantly redeveloped into a major solar energy generation plant. The complete removal of this critical energy infrastructure to rebuild an airfield is considered economically and logistically infeasible.