Obatake Airfield

The closure was primarily due to economic reasons. The airfield, which catered to private and recreational flyers, faced declining use and became financially unsustainable for its private operators. The official closure occurred just 20 days after the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011, which may have been a final catalyst, but the underlying cause was the lack of economic viability.

The site has been completely redeveloped into a large-scale solar energy facility named the 'Tsuchiura Obatake Solar Power Plant' (土浦大畑太陽光発電所). The entire area of the former runway, taxiways, and aprons is now covered with thousands of solar panels. The faint outline of the original runway is still visible under the panel arrays in satellite imagery, but all aviation infrastructure has been removed.

Established around 1990, Obatake Airfield was a significant private airfield (known in Japan as a 'jōgai richakuriku-jō', or off-field landing and takeoff site). It was a key hub for the ultralight aircraft (ULP) and recreational flying community in the Kanto region. The airfield featured a single paved runway, approximately 500-600 meters in length, and provided essential facilities for flight training, private plane owners, and aviation enthusiasts. It played an important role in supporting Japan's general aviation sector outside of major commercial airports.

There are no plans or prospects for reopening Obatake Airfield. The land has been fully and permanently repurposed for industrial-scale power generation. Reverting the site to an airfield would require the complete decommissioning and removal of the solar farm, making it economically and logistically infeasible.