An unexploded U. S. bomb from World War II that had been buried at a Japanese airport, exploded Wednesday, causing a large crater in a taxiway and the cancellation of more than 80 flights but no injuries. Officials said an investigation by the self-defense forces and police confirmed that the explosion was caused by a 500-pound U. S. bomb and there was no further danger. They were determining what caused its sudden detonation. It blew a hole 21 feet in diameter and three feet deep.
Miyazaki airport was built in 1943 as a former imperial Japanese Navy flight training field from which some kamikaze pilots took off on suicide attack missions. A number of unexploded bombs dropped by the U.S. military during world war II have been unearthed in the area. Hundreds of tons of unexploded bombs from the war remain buried around Japan and are sometimes dug up at construction sites. A total of 2,348 bombs were disposed of during 2023 alone.
