World War Two bomb explodes near Japan airport runway

STORY: :: A bomb, likely from World War Two, explodes near a Japanese runway

:: Civil Aviation College

:: October 2, 2024

:: Miyazaki, Japan

:: Miyazaki Prefecture

Miyazaki Airport shut its runway after the explosion left a crater 23 feet (7 meters) wide and 3.2 feet (1 meter) deep in a taxiway next to the runway, according to a Japanese transport ministry official.

A bomb disposal team from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force later found that the cause of the explosion was an American bomb that had been buried beneath the land surface, probably dating to a wartime air raid, the official said.

No injuries were reported but live camera footage from the nearby Civil Aviation College showed a passenger aircraft bound for Tokyo had taxied past the spot just two minutes before the explosion.

Multiple unexploded bombs have previously been found at Miyazaki airport, the transport ministry official said.