RJAM
JMSDF Minami Torishima Air Base
VFR
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Name
JMSDF Minami Torishima Air Base
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ICAO / IATA / GPS
RJAM / MUS / RJAM
- Type
- Restriction
- Region
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Timezone
10:54 pm (JST)
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Municipality
Ogasawara
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Coordinates
24° 17′ 22″ N 153° 58′ 44″ E
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Elevation
22 ft (7 m MSL)
About JMSDF Minami Torishima Air Base
Minami Torishima Airbase (南鳥島航空基地, Minami Torishima Kōkūkichi) is a one runway airport serving the island of Minami Torishima, Japan. The aerodrome used to be a military airstrip and according to the Japanese Aeronautical Information Service, is still operated by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
The airstrip existence dates to 1935 when the Imperial Japanese Navy built one to serve a meteorological station. The original airfield consisted of two airstrips (cleared area of 4000' and 4500', but only shorter sections used as landing area) in a v-shaped formation.
The airstrips facilities were damaged by US bombing of the island during World War II, and was re-built with a single runway by the United States Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 9 in 1964. Until 1993, the airstrip was used and controlled by the United States Coast Guard to service the nearby LORAN-C station. In 2009 the airstrip was transferred to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force which currently retains control of the airstrip and is used by the Japan Meteorological Agency to service and staff their operations on the island.