ww2 bomb explode japan airport
© Kyodo News/Getty ImagesA crater from the explosion at Miyazaki Airport, Wednesday, October 2, 2024
A World War II-era U.S. bomb exploded Wednesday, Oct. 2, at Miyazaki Airport in southwestern Japan. The explosion created a large crater on a taxiway and forced the cancellation of over 80 flights. No injuries were reported.

Japanese officials confirmed that the 500-pound U.S. bomb had been buried for decades before its sudden detonation.

Videos recorded by a nearby aviation school and broadcast on Japanese television showed debris flying through the air and a crater approximately 23 feet wide and 3 feet deep.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion, though Miyazaki Airport, built in 1943 as a flight training field for the Imperial Japanese Navy, unearthed several unexploded bombs in the past. The airport was used for kamikaze missions during the war.

The blast came just days after Japanese troops successfully disarmed and removed another WWII-era bomb in Okinawa. The 551-pound unexploded ordnance, discovered at a construction site in Naha City, prompted the evacuation of 1,400 people from nearby homes and businesses. Ground Self-Defense Forces defused the bomb and moved it to a storage facility. Japanese forces plan to detonate it at sea.

Okinawa officials estimate that about 2,000 tons of unexploded ordnance remains undiscovered from the intense bombardment during the Battle of Okinawa.

Crews have already disposed of nearly 22 tons of ordnance between April 2023 and March 2024, and the Ground Self-Defense Force has pledged to continue removal operations to ensure the safety of residents.