500 Lb. Bomb From World War 2 Explodes at Airport in Japan, Creating Massive Crater

Natalia Senanayake

2 October 2024 at 1:46 pm·2-min read

The explosion occurred on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at Miyazaki Airport, a former Imperial Japanese Navy base built in 1943

<p>Kyodo via AP</p> Aftermath of the explosion at Miyazaki Airport — Kyodo via AP
Aftermath of the explosion at Miyazaki Airport

An explosion occurred after a U.S. bomb from World War II detonated at an airport in Japan on Wednesday, Oct. 2
The incident happened at Miyazaki Airport, a former Imperial Japanese Navy base built in 1943
More than 80 flights were canceled as a result of the explosion, but no one was injured

A U.S. bomb from World War II has exploded at an airport in Japan nearly 80 years after the end of the conflict.

The explosion created a large crater on the taxiway at Miyazaki Airport in southwestern Japan on Wednesday, Oct. 2, CBS News and the Associated Press report. While the incident led to the cancellation of more than 80 flights, there were no reported injuries, according to both outlets.

<p>dreamnikon/Getty</p> — dreamnikon/Getty

Land and Ministry officials said Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and police have confirmed it was a 500-pound U.S. bomb that exploded, and they are currently investigating what led to its detonation.

<p>Kyodo via AP</p> The crater that the explosion left behind — Kyodo via AP
The crater that the explosion left behind

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said the airport hopes to continue normal operations by Thursday, Oct. 3, according to CBS News.

He also said that police are monitoring the scene of the incident but there is no threat of a second explosion.

PEOPLE reached out to Miyazaki Airport and the National Police Agency of Japan but did not receive an immediate reply.

World War II ended in 1945, but there are still many explosives there. In 2023 alone, 2,348 bombs were found and disposed of, according to Reuters. Officials have also found numerous unexploded bombs at Miyazaki Airport in the past, according to the outlet.

The airport was previously an Imperial Japanese Navy base built in 1943. The Japan Times reports that the site was the origin of dozens of kamikaze missions.

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In 2020, a bomb from WWII killed two men in the Solomon Islands after it abruptly detonated, PEOPLE previously reported. The victims were part of the non-government organization Norwegian People’s Aid and were helping to find bombs left over from the war that continue to pose a threat to locals.

At the time of that incident, the organization said there were “extensive amounts of explosive remnants of war contamination” that they were helping the local government to identify.

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Associated Press
An American bomb from WWII explodes at a Japanese airport, leaving a crater on the taxiway
An unexploded U.S. bomb from World War II that had been buried at a Japanese airport exploded Wednesday, causing a large crater in a taxiway and the cancellation of more than 80 flights, Japanese officials said. No one was hurt, and there were no aircraft nearby when the bomb exploded at Miyazaki Airport in southwestern Japan, Land and Transport Ministry officials said. Videos broadcast on Japanese television showed a crater in the taxiway reportedly about 7 meters (yards) in diameter and 1 meter (3 feet) deep.
Evening Standard
Almost 90 flights cancelled after WW2 bomb explodes on taxiway at Japanese airport
Blast from WW2 bomb at airport in southwestern Japan cancels more than 80 flights
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American bomb from WWII explodes at a Japanese airport, no casualties
An unexploded U.S. bomb from World War II that had been buried at a Japanese airport exploded Wednesday, causing a large crater in a taxiway and the cancellation of more than 80 flights, Japanese officials said.
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Cameras capture WWII bomb exploding at Japanese airport
A buried American bomb from World War II exploded at a Japanese airport on Wednesday, cancelling more than 80 flights. No injuries were reported, officials told the Associated Press.
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STORY: :: A bomb, likely from World War Two, explodes near a Japanese runway :: Civil Aviation College:: October 2, 2024:: Miyazaki, Japan:: Miyazaki PrefectureMiyazaki Airport shut its runway after the explosion left a crater 23 feet (7 meters) wide and 3.2 feet (1 meter) deep in a taxiway next to the runway, according to a Japanese transport ministry official.A bomb disposal team from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force later found that the cause of the explosion was an American bomb that had been buried beneath the land surface, probably dating to a wartime air raid, the official said.No injuries were reported but live camera footage from the nearby Civil Aviation College showed a passenger aircraft bound for Tokyo had taxied past the spot just two minutes before the explosion.Multiple unexploded bombs have previously been found at Miyazaki airport, the transport ministry official said.
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