Chitose Air Base
Encyclopedia
Japan Air Self-Defense Force
The , or JASDF, is the aviation branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace and other aerospace operations. The JASDF carries out combat air patrols around Japan, while also maintaining an extensive network of ground and air early warning radar systems...
base located in Chitose
Chitose, Hokkaido
-Economy:China Airlines operates its Sapporo office on the third floor of the airport building.The airline Hokkaido Air System was at one time headquartered at the New Chitose Airport in Chitose...
, Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
, adjacent to New Chitose Airport
New Chitose Airport
, is an airport located south southeast of Chitose and Tomakomai, Hokkaidō, Japan, serving the Sapporo metropolitan area. By land area, it is the largest airport in Hokkaidō....
. It is the JASDF
Japan Air Self-Defense Force
The , or JASDF, is the aviation branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace and other aerospace operations. The JASDF carries out combat air patrols around Japan, while also maintaining an extensive network of ground and air early warning radar systems...
's primary base in northern Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and tasked with monitoring Japan's maritime borders with Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. It was also Hokkaidō's primary civilian airport until the opening of New Chitose Airport in 1988. Together, these two jointly operated and connected airports create one of the largest regional airports in Japan.
US military service
Chitose's first flight came in 1926, when the Otaru Shimbun newspaper sponsored the "Hokkai One" (Hokkai-ichigō) flight, originating at a 10-hectare air field donated by the villagers of Chitose. In 1939, the Imperial Japanese NavyImperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
took over the field.
After Japan's surrender in 1945, ending World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the United States Armed Forces
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
took over the base, being primarily under the control of the United States Army Air Force, and later the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
Fifth Air Force
Fifth Air Force
The Fifth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan....
. Major USAF occupation units assigned to Chitose Air Base were:
- 3d Air Commando Group (309th Bombardment Wing), October 1945-March 1946
- 49th Fighter Group (later Wing), February 1946-April 1948
The base was used largely as a maintenance and logistics facility in the late 1940s prior to the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, under the operational control of the 314th Air Division
314th Air Division
The 314th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Pacific Air Forces, based at Osan AB, South Korea. It was inactivated in September 1986....
, Johnson Air Base. Chintose wss operated as a sub-base to Johnson AB. As a result of the Korean War, the 6163d Air Base Wing was activated on 1 January 1951. The airfield was used primarily as an emergency landing field for aircraft returning from combat missions over Korea, and as a maintenance and repair depot by Technical Service Command.
During the Allied occupation, in 1951, Chitose received its first scheduled civilian flights to Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, operated by Japan Airlines
Japan Airlines
is an airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. It is the flag carrier of Japan and its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport , as well as Nagoya's Chūbu Centrair International Airport and Osaka's Kansai International Airport...
.
After the 1953 Korean Armistice, the USAF moved its F-86 Sabre
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
-equipped 4th Fighter Group (later Wing) from Kimpo AB (K-14), South Korea in September 1954. The only American combat unit assigned to Chintose, the squadron provided air defense of Hokkido for several years, being inactivated in place on 1 July 1957 due to budget restrictions.
With the inactivation of the 4th Fighter Wing
4th Fighter Wing
The 4th Fighter Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Ninth Air Force. It is stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, where it is also the host unit....
, Chitose was phased down for return to Japanese control. The 6029th Support Group was activated and continued support for the units assigned to the base. It was inactivated along with the other United States military units at the base on 31 December 1957, returning the facility over to Japanese control. The US maintained a communications facility at the base until December 1970, and formally ended operations at Chitose on June 30, 1975.
Civilian service
The passenger terminal at Chitose Airport opened in 1963. Chitose quickly overtook Okadama AirportOkadama Airport
is an airport located in Okadamachō, Higashi-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, north of the city center of Sapporo. Its scheduled airline service is limited to turboprop flights to other cities in Hokkaidō: larger aircraft use New Chitose Airport, south of the city...
, which was too small to serve jet aircraft, as the main airport serving the Sapporo metropolitan area.
Immigration facilities were constructed in 1969, prior to the opening of the 1972 Winter Olympics
1972 Winter Olympics
The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from February 3 to February 13, 1972 in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan...
in Sapporo. The only scheduled international service at Chitose was a Japan Air System
Japan Air System
was the smallest of the big three Japanese airlines, headquartered in the JAS M1 Building at Tokyo International Airport in Ōta, Tokyo. In contrast to JAL and ANA, its international route network was very small, but its domestic network incorporated many smaller airports that were not served by...
flight to Honolulu
Honolulu International Airport
Honolulu International Airport is the principal aviation gateway of the City & County of Honolulu and the State of Hawaii and is identified as one of the busiest airports in the United States, with traffic now exceeding 21 million passengers a year and rising.It is located in the Honolulu...
with a stop at Tokyo Narita
Narita International Airport
is an international airport serving the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan. It is located east of Tokyo Station and east-southeast of Narita Station in the city of Narita, and the adjacent town of Shibayama....
, which operated from 1981 to 1987.
All civilian passenger service was transferred to New Chitose Airport
New Chitose Airport
, is an airport located south southeast of Chitose and Tomakomai, Hokkaidō, Japan, serving the Sapporo metropolitan area. By land area, it is the largest airport in Hokkaidō....
in 1988.
Northern Air Defense Force
- 2nd Air Wing
- 201st Tactical Fighter Squadron (F-15 EagleMitsubishi F-15JThe Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather interceptor fighter based on the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle in use by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force . It was produced under license by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The subsequent F-15DJ and F-15J Kai variants were also produced. Japan...
) - 203rd Tactical Fighter Squadron (F-15 EagleMitsubishi F-15JThe Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather interceptor fighter based on the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle in use by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force . It was produced under license by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The subsequent F-15DJ and F-15J Kai variants were also produced. Japan...
)- 3rd Air Defence Missile Group (Patriot missiles)
- 9th Fire Unit
- 10th Fire Unit
- 8th Mobile Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron
Air Support Command
- Special Air Transport Corps (Boeing 747s used by Japanese governmentJapanese Air Force OneJapanese Air Force One and Japanese Air Force Two are the radio callsigns of the two Boeing 747 aircraft used by the government of Japan for overseas travel by the Emperor, Prime Minister and other high-ranking officials...
) - Chitose Air Rescue Wing (UH-60J,U-125A)
Accidents and incidents
- July 30, 1971: All Nippon Airways Flight 58All Nippon Airways Flight 58All Nippon Airways Flight 58 was a Boeing 727-281 airliner, JA8329, that collided with a Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-86F fighter jet, 92-7932, while en route from Chitose Airport in Sapporo to Tokyo International Airport in Tokyo on 30 July 1971 at 2:04 local time. All 162 of those on board...
, while on a route from Chitose to Tokyo Haneda, collided with a fighter plane. All of the people on board died.
Chitose Air Base in Fiction
In the animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
OAV
OAV
OAV is a three letter acronym that may stand for:* Original animated video* Österreichischer Alpenverein * Object–Agent–Verb * Odour activity value...
801 T.T.S. Airbats
801 T.T.S. Airbats
is a manga by Shimizu Toshimitsu which was later adapted into a seven episode anime series, produced by Studio Fantasia and Victor Entertainment. The series was released in Japan on Laser Disc as a series of OAV episodes between 1994 and 1996, and was licensed for English language distribution by...
, the series takes place on the Chitose Air Base.