is an airfield located in

Obihiro, Hokkaidō is a Cities of Japan, city in Tokachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. Obihiro is the only designated city in the Tokachi Subprefecture, Tokachi area. As of February 29, 2020, the city has an estimated population of 165,851. The next most popu ...

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 ...

, operated by the

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ( ja, 陸上自衛隊, Rikujō Jieitai), , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service b ...

(JGSDF). The airfield is situated close to JGSDF Camp Obihiro.

History

The airfield first opened in 1937 as an airfield for the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...

. In 1956, operation was taken over by the JGSDF. In December 1964, the airfield became Obihiro Airport with a 1,000 m runway. In December 1972, the runway was extended to a length of 1,500 m. In February 1981, civil use of the airport ceased ahead of the opening of Tokachi-Obihiro Airport in March 1981.Ministry of Land,Infrastructure and Transport Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau
Obihiro Airport history
Retrieved on 7 August 2009 It is still operational as a general aviation airfield ever since the opening of the new airport.

References

Airports in Hokkaido Japan Ground Self-Defense Force bases {{Hokkaidō-geo-stub