Ibaraki Airport

Ibaraki Airport, also known as Hyakuri Air Base, is located in Omitama, Ibaraki Prefecture, 85 km north of Tokyo. The Imperial Japanese Navy established the airfield in 1937. Following World War II, local residents reclaimed the land for agriculture until the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) reopened the base in 1956. In September 1976, the facility was utilized for the examination and disassembly of a Soviet MiG-25 following a pilot defection. Civil aviation operations commenced in March 2010.

The JASDF operates the facility, which serves as the closest fighter base to Tokyo. It hosts the 7th Air Wing of the Central Air Defense Force, including the 3rd Tactical Fighter Squadron operating Mitsubishi F-2A/B and Kawasaki T-4 aircraft. The Air Rescue Wing Hyakuri Detachment is also stationed there, operating UH-60J and U-125A aircraft. As of 2017, the base was the final operating location for JASDF F-4 Phantom II aircraft.

The airfield infrastructure includes a main taxiway that encircles the Hyakuri Peace Park, situated within the base perimeter. The civilian terminal is a single-story building that utilizes tarmac boarding instead of jetways to reduce operational costs.

Recent activities include the 2016 deployment of Kawasaki T-4 trainers to collect radioactive material after a North Korean nuclear test. US Navy F/A-18E Super Hornets from VFA-195 deployed to the base briefly in 2016, and the facility hosts US Air Force F-15 training drills relocated from Kadena Air Base under a 2005 bilateral agreement. In October 2017, an F-4EJ Kai of the 302nd Tactical Fighter Squadron caught fire on the ground following a landing gear malfunction. The base holds an annual air show in December featuring JASDF equipment and the Blue Impulse aerobatic team. In 2020, the Ibaraki Prefectural Government adopted the name "Ibaraki International Airport" for international promotion.