Ashiya Air Field

Ashiya Air Field was constructed on the coast of the Genkai Sea in Onga District, Fukuoka Prefecture. According to some accounts a groundbreaking ceremony was held on November 13, 1939, and construction was completed by May 29, 1940. Sources differ on when it became operational as an Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (IJAAF) base: April 1942 in some accounts, December 1942 in the standard Japanese chronology of the present base, and 1944 in some English-language summaries.

During World War II, Ashiya served as a critical defensive hub for air operations in southern Japan, hosting training, maintenance, and interception missions against the intensifying Allied bombing campaigns over Kyushu. The base was particularly vital for countering U.S. B-29 Superfortress raids targeting nearby industrial sites such as the Yawata Steel Works in Kitakyushu.

The 52nd Sentai, equipped with Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate (Frank) fighters, relocated to Ashiya in May 1944. During a major daytime B-29 raid on August 20, 1944 — part of the Yawata Steel Works bombing campaign — fifteen Ki-84s scrambled from Ashiya and claimed one enemy aircraft destroyed. That same night, two Ki-84s collided during landing operations, killing the Sentai commander Major Takayuki Uchinori and flight leader Captain Itsuo Awane.

As the war entered its final phase in 1945, Ashiya became a staging base for the Imperial Japanese Army's Shinbu-tai (振武隊) special attack formations. The 149th Shimbutai kamikaze unit operated from the airfield, flying Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien (Tony) fighters on one-way missions against the Allied fleet during the Battle of Okinawa. Relentless B-29 bombing pressure on the base itself further strained operations and facilities.

U.S. forces took control of Ashiya in October 1945. The 92nd Air Service Squadron used the base as a salvage and scrapping facility, systematically destroying captured Japanese military aircraft and equipment. During the Korean War (1950–1953), the USAF 314th Troop Carrier Group operated C-119 Flying Boxcars from Ashiya on combat airlift missions. In November 1960, the United States returned the base to Japan. On February 1, 1961, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force officially established Ashiya Air Base, which today hosts the 13th Flying Training Wing operating T-4 trainer aircraft.