Iwate Army Airfield

The airfield ceased all military operations following Japan's surrender at the end of World War II. The facility was subsequently closed as part of the nationwide demilitarization and the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Army under Allied occupation.

The site of the former airfield has been completely redeveloped and shows no visible traces of its original runways or military buildings. Since the 1970s, the area has been transformed into the Kitakami Industrial Park (北上工業団地, Kitakami Kōgyō Danchi), one of the most significant industrial zones in the Tōhoku region. It hosts numerous large-scale manufacturing plants for major corporations, including Kioxia (formerly Toshiba Memory) and Japan Display Inc. To preserve its history, a stone monument, the 'Gotōno Airfield Site Monument' (後藤野飛行場跡地の碑), has been erected within the industrial park.

The airfield was officially known as Gotōno Army Airfield (後藤野陸軍飛行場, Gotōno Rikugun Hikōjō). Constructed between 1943 and 1944, it was a key World War II base for the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service (IJAAS). Its primary function was as an advanced training (錬成, rensei) base for fighter pilots, particularly for operating the advanced Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate ('Frank') fighter aircraft. The 101st, 102nd, and 103rd Sentai (Flying Regiments) were among the units that trained here. As the war situation deteriorated for Japan, the base was designated as a staging point for Special Attack (kamikaze) units intended to intercept American B-29 bomber raids on the mainland. However, the war ended before any significant special attack missions were launched from the site. The provided ICAO code 'JP-2151' is a non-standard identifier used in some unofficial databases for historical airfields, not an official ICAO code.

There are zero plans or prospects for reopening the airfield. The land is fully and irreversibly occupied by a vital, high-value industrial park that is critical to the local and regional economy. Any proposal to revert the land to aviation use would be economically and logistically infeasible. The modern aviation needs of Iwate Prefecture are served by Hanamaki Airport (HNA / RJSI), located approximately 20 km to the north.