Shiga Airfield

Military conversion and post-WWII reorganization. After World War II, the airfield was transferred from the disbanded Imperial Japanese Army to Allied occupation forces, and then back to Japan. In 1959, the site was officially repurposed and established as Camp Otsu, a base for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF). While a JGSDF aviation unit was temporarily stationed there, it soon moved, and the site was fully converted for ground force operations, with the runway and aviation facilities being removed.

The site is currently the active Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) Camp Otsu (陸上自衛隊大津駐屯地). The former airfield infrastructure, including the runway, has been completely redeveloped. The area is now occupied by barracks, administrative buildings, training grounds, vehicle depots, and other facilities for various ground units, including elements of the JGSDF Middle Army.

The airfield was established in 1941 as the Imperial Japanese Army's Otsu Airfield (大津飛行場), also known as Shiga Army Airfield (滋賀陸軍飛行場). During World War II, it was a key strategic base for the air defense of the Keihanshin (Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe) metropolitan area. It primarily hosted fighter units, most notably the 55th Sentai (Air Combat Group), which operated aircraft such as the Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien fighter. After the war, it was briefly used by the U.S. Army before being returned to Japan in 1957. It served as the founding location for the JGSDF's 3rd Division headquarters upon its establishment in 1959.

None. The site is a fully operational and important JGSDF ground forces base. There are no known plans, discussions, or prospects for decommissioning the base and converting it back into an airfield. Such a change is considered highly improbable due to the site's current strategic military importance as a ground facility.