Yontan Airfield - Postwar Use

Postwar Use

After 1947, there were no permanently assigned units to Yontan, and the base was used as auxiliary for Kadena Air Base until the mid-1950s. Afterward it was placed in auxiliary reserve status.

By 1950, Yontan was redesignated as parachute drop training facility due to its runways not being feasible for operations by large/jet aircraft. By that time, local residents were started farming at the airfield with the tacit permission of the Air Force, there were no fences installed on the base boundaries except administrative area. Since the parachute drop trainings were first begun, 33 serious off-range drop accidents occurred including the death of a girl on 2 August 1950 when a fuel tank fell into their house, and an 11 June 1965 accident in which a trailer landed off-target crushing a 10-year-old girl, who was playing in the family yard.

In the 1972 Okinawa Reversion Agreement, the Government of Japan (GOJ) concurrently provided the airfield to the USFJ as ’’’Yomitan Auxiliary Airfield’’’ (FAC 6027). From 1969 through to the early 1970's special services from Kadena AFB used Yomitan as an Air Force Aeroclub training base, with six Cessna 150s based there flying seven days a week.

Under the agreement of the 16th U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee in 1976, 250.78 acres of land at eastern portion of the airfield were partially returned to the GOJ in 3 release actions: 0.48 acres were released on 14 May 1977, 0.19 acres were released on 31 May 1977, and 250.11 acres were released on 30 April 1978. The remainder approximately 191 acres were transferred from Fifth Air Force to the control of Commander Fleet Activities, Okinawa (COMFLEACTS Okinawa) on 27 July 1978. In addition, on 9 October 1980 control of the Yomitan Auxiliary Airfield passed from COMFLEACTS Okinawa to Commanding General Marine Corps Base, Camp Butler.

The last parachute drop training at Yomitan was held on 19 July 1996. The training was relocated to Ie Jima under the agreement of SACO Final Report, and USFJ retained the airfield as electromagnetic interference easement area for HF/DF operations at Sobe Communication Site. In December 2006, Yomitan Auxiliary Airfield was totally returned to the GOJ and landowners as the result of Sobe Communication Site relocated to Camp Hansen.