Flights have been cancelled at a Japanese airport after an unexploded US bomb buried at the site suddenly detonated, causing significant disruption to air travel schedules. The bomb, believed to date back to the Second World War, created a large crater in a taxiway at Miyazaki Airport in south-western Japan. Thankfully, no injuries were reported as a result of the explosion.
Authorities confirmed that over 80 flights had to be cancelled following the incident, affecting airlines such as JAL, ANA, and others that connect Miyazaki with major cities like Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka. The land and transport ministry officials noted that there were no aircraft in close proximity when the bomb went off, ensuring there was no immediate danger to passengers or crew.
An investigation carried out by the Self-Defence Forces and local police determined that the 500lb US bomb was the cause of the explosion and stated that there was no ongoing threat. Efforts are now underway to ascertain what triggered the bomb’s sudden detonation. Footage captured by a nearby aviation school showed the force of the blast sending pieces of tarmac flying into the air, resembling a fountain of debris.
Images broadcast on Japanese television revealed a substantial crater on the taxiway, measuring approximately 21ft in diameter and 3ft deep. Chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi confirmed that the airport had to cancel more than 80 flights and expressed hopes of resuming operations by the following morning.
Miyazaki Airport has a historical connection, having been established in 1943 as a former Imperial Japanese Navy flight training field where kamikaze pilots took off for suicide missions during the war. The region has a known history of unexploded bombs dropped by the US military, with defence ministry officials highlighting the continuous presence of such wartime remnants.
Despite more than seven decades passing since the war’s end, unexploded ordnances from past airstrikes are still being discovered across Japan. In the last fiscal year alone, the Self-Defense Forces safely disposed of 2,348 bombs weighing a total of 37.5 tonnes, underscoring the ongoing impact of historical conflicts on present-day activities and infrastructure.