Yomitan Auxiliary Airfield

Yontan Airfield Yontan Air Base Yontan Auxiliary Airfield
Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, Japan
A view of Yontan Air Field looking northeast in 1945 with the East China Sea in the background
Coordinates	26°23′37″N 127°44′48″E / 26.39361°N 127.74667°E / 26.39361; 127.74667
Type	Military airfield
Site information
Controlled by	United States Air Force United States Navy United States Marine Corps
Site history
Built	1944
Built by	Imperial Japanese Army
In use	1945–2006

Yontan Airfield (also known as Yomitan Auxiliary Airfield) is a former military airfield located near Yomitan Village on the west coast of Okinawa. It was closed in July 1996 and turned over to the Japanese government in December 2006. Today it is home to the Yomitan Village Office and community complex, including baseball fields, running tracks, and community facilities.^[1]

Yontan (Yomitan) Airfield was originally established by the Imperial Japanese Army in 1944 as Kita Airfield (北飛行場, Kita Hikōjō). During the Battle of Okinawa on April 1, 1945, United States Marine Corps and United States Army forces seized the airfield on the first day of their landing. It was quickly repaired and became the first airfield on Okinawa to be used by the American forces. Later it was developed into a major American base for Army, Marine, and Navy aircraft. The Boeing B-29 Bockscar landed at Yomitan after the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.