Miizugahara Airfield

The airfield, more commonly known as Menuma Glider Port (妻沼滑空場, Menuma Kakkūjō), was closed after the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), which manages the riverbed land, decided not to renew the land use permit. While the official justification involved river management and environmental preservation, the site was subsequently leased for commercial redevelopment, indicating that economic and land-use policy changes were the primary drivers.

The site of the former airfield has been completely repurposed. A large portion of the former runway and grounds is now occupied by the 'Kumagaya Menuma Mega Solar Plant' (熊谷妻沼メガソーラー発電所), a large-scale photovoltaic power station that began operation in 2015. All aviation-related infrastructure has been removed, and the land is now used for renewable energy generation.

For over 60 years, Menuma Glider Port was a site of immense importance for Japanese civil aviation, widely regarded as the 'mecca' or 'holy land' for university-level gliding. Managed by the Japan Student Aviation Federation (日本学生航空連盟), it served as the main training and competition hub for dozens of university aviation clubs from across the Kanto region. The airfield hosted numerous national competitions, including the All Japan Student Gliding Championship, and was instrumental in fostering a passion for aviation and training thousands of glider pilots since the post-war era.

There are no plans or prospects for reopening the airfield. The permanent redevelopment of the site into a major solar power installation and the revocation of the original land use permit by the governing ministry make a return to aviation activities virtually impossible.