An unexploded bomb likely dropped by the United States during World War II has exploded at an airport in Japan forcing the cancellation of nearly 90 flights, Japanese officials said.
The explosion of the 500-pound bomb at Miyazaki Airport, in southwestern Japan, caused a large crater measuring 23 feet in diameter and 3 feet deep in the middle of a taxiway, the Reuters news agency reported citing a Japanese transport ministry official.
The airport was forced to cancel flights operated by Japan Airlines (JAL), All Nippon Airways (ANA) and regional airlines connecting the city of Miyazaki, in the southeast end of Kyushu island, to cities including Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka.
“We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the cancellation of today’s flight (02OCT24) due to runway closure at Miyazaki Airport,” JAL posted on X Wednesday morning.
Officials say the airport is expected to resume regular operations Thursday morning, according to a statement on the airport’s website.
Several unexploded bombs dropped by U.S. forces during WWII have been unearthed in the area, according to the country’s Defense Ministry.
Last year, 2,348 bombs weighing 41 tons were unearthed across Japan, Reuters reported, citing the Ministry of Self-Defense Forces.
Miyazaki Airport, which opened in 1943 as a former Imperial Japanese Navy flight training field, was used as a base where hundreds of kamikaze pilots would embark on their final, suicidal missions, according to the Miyazaki city website.
With News Wire Services
https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/10/02/wwii-us-bomb-japan-miyazaki-airport-explodes/