Gunma Prefecture and Takasaki City have decided to develop the site of the former Japan Army airfield in Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture, one year before the end of the Pacific War, as an area where companies with advanced technology gather.
Approximately 160 hectares of land spread over Takasaki City and other areas were developed as the former Japan Army's "Maebashi Airfield" in August of Showa 1, one year before the end of the Pacific War, and were used until the end of the war.
After the end of the war, the site was used as farmland and is now partially residential, but the prefecture and Takasaki City announced that the remaining approximately 19 hectares of the site will be developed into an area where companies with advanced technologies and educational and research institutions will concentrate.
In the future, they will create a basic plan with the aim of creating a city that will surpass Silicon Valley, a concentration of American IT companies, and plan to start development work in fiscal 8.
Governor Ichita Yamamoto of Gunma Prefecture said at a press conference, "DX = We will make it a futuristic town that has no parallel in the world in terms of digital transformation and decarbonization."
On the other hand, Koshio Suzuki, executive director of the Gunma Prefectural Education Promotion Association, who is researching the history of Maebashi Airfield, pointed out the importance of passing on the history of the airfield to future generations, and said, "In order not to forget the fact that there were facilities related to war, I hope that the few remaining ruins will be cherished and a monument will be developed that will give young people a place to think about war and peace."