A regional airport in southwest Japan has been shut on Wednesday after a U.S. bombshell —which experts have said likely dropped during World War Two to stem “kamikaze” attacks— exploded near its runway. This incident has caused nearly 90 flights to be cancelled.
The airport in question–Miyazaki Airport– had closed its runway after the explosion caused a crater seven metres (23 feet) wide and one metre (3.2 feet) deep in the middle of the taxiway which was close to the runway, according to reports by a Japanese transport ministry official.
A bomb disposal team called in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force eventually found that the cause of the explosion was an American bomb that had been buried beneath the land surface. “It probably dates back to a wartime air raid” the official said.
At press time, no injuries have been reported but the runway shutdown had led to the grounding of 87 flights.
According to the airport website, the affected flights were operated by JAL, ANA and other airlines connecting Miyazaki with bug cities such as Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka.
Several unexploded bombs have previously been found at Miyazaki airport, and after over 79 years since the end of the war, unexploded bombs from the intense airstrikes are still found across Japan today.
In 2023, a total number of 2,348 bombs weighing 37.5 tonnes were disposed of during the fiscal year according to the Self-Defense Force.
