World
Japan Airport Closes After Suspected U.S. Bomb From World War II Explodes
Topline
A regional airport in Japan closed on Wednesday after an undetonated bomb likely dropped by the U.S. in World War II exploded, canceling dozens of flights though causing no injuries, Japanese officials said, as hundreds of unexploded explosives remain buried throughout the country.
Thousands of undetonated explosives remain in Japan nearly 80 years after the war ended.
Key Facts
Transport Ministry officials said a U.S.-made bomb—weighing just over 500 pounds—detonated around 7:59 a.m. local time Wednesday at Miyazaki Airport, though it was not immediately clear why the bomb exploded, the Japan Times reported.
The bomb was likely buried after it was dropped during a World War II raid at the Miyazaki Airport, which was a target because some kamikaze pilots took off on suicide attack missions from there, according to the officials.
Other unexploded bombs had previously been found at the airport.
There were no reports of injuries from the incident, which created a crater about 20 feet long and 13 feet wide on the airport’s taxiway, while 87 flights were canceled as the airport closed its runway for the day.
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Big Number
2,348. That’s how many unexploded bombs Japan disposed of last year, according to Reuters, which cited data from Japan’s Self-Defense Forces.
Key Background
Miyazaki Airport was built in 1943 and was used by the Imperial Japanese Navy as a flight training field. Decades later, unexploded bombs dropped by the U.S. and other allied forces are still found throughout Japan, including dozens that are found buried beneath construction sites, according to local reports. The American military assisted in removing about 5,000 tons of unexploded ordinances by 1972, though analysts told the Japanese outlet NHK that it could take up to another 100 years to dispose of all the unexploded bombs.
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