Uminokuchi Heliport

Economic reasons are the most probable cause for closure. Small, private, or municipal heliports like Uminokuchi are expensive to maintain and operate. It was likely established to support local tourism or for emergency use, but a lack of consistent demand and high operational costs made it financially unsustainable. There is no evidence to suggest it was closed due to an accident or for military conversion.

The site of the former heliport has been completely repurposed. The coordinates point directly to the Minamimaki Village Social Gymnasium (南牧村社会体育館). The paved area that once served as the helipad is now a multi-purpose space used as a parking lot for the gymnasium and for outdoor sports like tennis or futsal. Any specific helipad markings, such as the 'H', are either completely gone or extremely faded and no longer visible in recent satellite imagery.

The heliport's significance was primarily local. It was a small, private-use heliport (hence the non-standard 'JP-' ICAO prefix) located in the Yatsugatake Mountains. Its operations were likely tied to serving the nearby 'Yatsugatake Uminokuchi Kogen Lodge' and other mountain tourism facilities, providing access for affluent guests or for scenic flights. It may have also been designated for emergency services, such as medical evacuation or disaster response in the mountainous terrain, a common function for such facilities in rural Japanese villages. It handled only non-scheduled, private helicopter traffic.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the Uminokuchi Heliport. The site has been fully integrated into the village's community sports facilities. Given that the original economic factors leading to its closure likely persist, and the land has been repurposed, the prospect of re-establishing a heliport at this location is effectively zero.