U.S. may allow commercial use of Yokota base during 2020 Olympics

"Nothing has been decided yet"?

They'd better hurry up, I imagine there's plethora of complex security and safety issues that need to be ironed out.

That is a small terminal and would only be able to handle the traffic from maybe two aircraft at once. Plus there are no automated systems for checking passports and visas You just flip open your passport and they look at it and that's good enough. All a terrorists would need would be an authentic looking passport.

The terminal having been set up for use by military members and their dependents. It was not intended for use by the General Public

And there are no buses or taxis available at the terminal. Passengers would be able to walk out the nearby gate to the nearest train station which is very very small, about a 15 or 20 minute walk away.

This is an impractical idea for all of the reasons listed by @sensei258.

If capacity is really an issue, then the government should consider Ibaraki Airport.

Truthfully, it would be far easier for the government to organize this without the issues involving the U.S. military, SOFA and all of that.

And I believe Ibaraki Airport is already set up to handle international flights.

I have a feeling this may be used by members of the IOC, who are so special they don't want to have to through regular airports. They will fly in on their private jets and get VIP service. This is not for the general public.

I could keep going

sensei258: You make the mistake of assuming ordinary people would be using the airport. I expect only the elite in their private jets would be allowed to land there. They would then be chauffeured in luxury along roads closed to everyone else to their luxury hotels. For this reason I oppose this move.

as some have stated, more likely a temporary CIP or VIP terminal during the games for the jet setting privileged and elite types.

The U.S. Forces Japan controls much of the airspace in that part of Japan making landing and take-offs a major pain in the @ss. Allowing commercial aircraft into the airspace would be a much bigger help.

Is this part of the ongoing negotiations between Tokyo and Washington over the partial return of Yokota's massive airspace, the so-called Yokota RAPCON, which encompasses skies over metropolitan Tokyo and 8 prefectures?

 Cf. "Japan to control flight routes in U.S. military airspace over Tokyo" run on** **Japan Today: Dec. 19, 2018

All this proves my contention in various posts to be true that the World War II Occupation by the U.S. military hasn’t ended as yet, not only in Okinawa but also in Japan proper.

Our land, our airspace and our country. I think.

How nice the Americans may let Japan use its own airport in which the Americans pay no rent.

DON'T ASK, DEMAND.

Dam yanks think they own Japan.

Goodlucktoyou: "Our land, our airspace and our country. I think." But you need US approval to use it! US occupations is alive and well. Time for the Japanese people to reclaim their sovereignty.