A 500-pound bomb dropped by American forces on Japan during World War II exploded unexpectedly beneath an airport runway on Tuesday after being buried for around 80 years.
The explosion damaged a taxiway at the Miyazaki Airport in southwestern Japan, causing more than 80 flights to be canceled, the Associated Press reported. No injuries were reported after the explosion, which was caught on video and posted to social media. The video shows that the bomb exploded far away from any aircraft, but according to a local broadcaster, an airplane had been taxiing near the area just two minutes before the bomb exploded.
🌐 Breaking News: Explosion at Miyazaki Airport? ✈️💥
This morning, an explosion was reportedly captured on the information camera at Miyazaki Airport at 7:58 AM, sending plumes of dust into the air.
The airport office has confirmed that a sinkhole was found on the taxiway… pic.twitter.com/LPwA0VKsPp
— Currently JAPAN (@Currently_JAPAN) October 2, 2024
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said, “There is no threat of a second explosion, and police and firefighters are currently examining the scene,” CBS News reported. Authorities are still trying to determine what caused the bomb to detonate.
An investigation by Japanese authorities confirmed that the explosion was caused by a 500-pound U.S. bomb that was dropped on the airfield, which was built in 1943 to train Imperial Japan’s kamikaze pilots during World War II. Japan’s Defense Ministry said that numerous unexploded bombs dropped from U.S. warplanes have been discovered near the airport.
Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!
The crater caused by the explosion on Tuesday was 7 feet in diameter and 3 feet deep, according to the AP. Throughout Japan, hundreds of tons of unexploded bombs from World War II have been dug up, often at construction sites. In fiscal year 2023 alone, Japanese officials reported that 2,348 bombs were disposed of in the country.
After the war, the U.S. helped remove thousands of unexploded bombs in Japan, but experts predict that it could take another 100 years for all of the bombs from World War II to be disposed of just in the Okinawa Prefecture. Near the end of the war, Okinawa was pounded with around 200,000 tons of bombs, according to NHK World Japan. An estimated 10,000 tons of those bombs were unexploded.