National Route 189 is a national highway of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Iwakuni is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. History Iwakuni was formerly the castle town of the Iwakuni han, which was formed by Lord Hiroie Kikkawa after he was banished there for supporting the defeated shōgun. The Kikkawa clan ruled ...

, Yamaguchi, connecting

Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni is a United States Marine Corps air station located in the Nishiki river delta, southeast of Iwakuni Station in the city of Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. History The Japanese government bought a large portion of what is today MCAS I ...

and

Japan National Route 2 is a major highway on the islands of Honshū and Kyūshū in Japan. It follows the old Sanyōdo westward from the city of Osaka, Osaka Prefecture in the Kansai region to the city of Kitakyūshū in Fukuoka Prefecture, passing through the Sa ...

, with a total length of .

Overview

Route 189 connects with the main gate of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni at the southernmost end, and with the Taiteishi intersection of Routes 2 and 188. Access to the commercial portion of Air Station Iwakuni is provided by the Yamaguchi Prefectural Route 110 Iwakuni Kintaikyo Airport Line. While the actual length of the road is , over of this overlaps with

Japan National Route 188 National Route 188 is a national highway of Japan connecting Iwakuni, Yamaguchi is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. History Iwakuni was formerly the castle town of the Iwakuni han, which was formed by Lord Hiroie Kikkawa af ...

. The section of this route with no overlap is just long, making it the second-shortest national highway in Japan, longer than Route 174 by , and shorter than Route 130 by .

Intersecting roads

Route Data

Start and end points are as designated by ordinance. *Start: Iwakuni Airport *End: 1-Chome, Marifu, Iwakuni City *Length:

History

Route 189 was opened in 1953, first designated as a second class national highway named Second-class National Route 189 Iwakuni Airport Line. At that time, Iwakuni Airport and

Haneda Airport , officially , and sometimes called as Tokyo Haneda Airport or Haneda International Airport , is one of two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Narita International Airport (NRT). It serves as the primary ...

were the only two international airports in western Japan, making this an important road. As US military presence increased, gradually civilian aircraft were not allowed at the airport, until in 1967 civilian operations ceased. Until 2010 the official end-point of Route 189 lay within the US military base at Iwakuni, causing road management and maintenance issues as the general public have no access. This was due to the original designation stating that the road ended before the platform where the

national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours ...

was hoisted, inside the main gate. In 2010 this was changed, with the road now officially ending at the main gate of the base. In 2012 civilian operations from Iwakuni airport began once again with the construction of the Iwakuni Kintaikyo Airport terminal. Despite this, Route 189 remains unchanged, leaving it useless for civilians wishing to use the airport, who instead use Yamaguchi Prefectural Route 110.

Notes

References