Kasumigaura Air Field (Kasumigaura Hikōjō, Camp Kasumigaura)

Kasumigaura Air Field is located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, 5.0 kilometers south of Tsuchiura. Operated by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) as part of Camp Kasumigaura, the facility functions as a supply depot and a training base for helicopter pilots and mechanics. Approximately 2,000 personnel are stationed at the installation.

Established in 1921 as the Imperial Japanese Navy Aeronautical Technology and Training Center, the base served as a center for airship operations throughout the 1920s. In 1923, Japan installed a German airship hangar relocated from Jüterbog airbase, received as war reparations. The base hosted several airship models between 1923 and 1932, including the French Astra-Torres, the Japanese-built Vickers SS-3, and multiple Fujikura and Nobile airships. In August 1929, the LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin stopped at Kasumigaura during its circumnavigation of the globe. The Imperial Japanese Navy discontinued airship operations in 1932 and dismantled the hangar in 1943.

The United States military assumed control of the base in 1945 before transferring it to the Japanese defense ministry in 1953. Current operations are centered on aviation logistics and the technical instruction of JGSDF flight and maintenance crews.