Japan airport shut after likely WWII-era bomb explodes near runway, 87 flights canceled

TOKYO — 

A determination airdrome successful southwest Japan was closed connected Wednesday aft a U.S. bombshell, apt dropped during World War Two to stem "kamikaze" attacks, exploded adjacent its runway, causing astir 90 formation cancellations.

Miyazaki Airport unopen its runway aft the detonation caused a crater 7 meters wide and 1 metre heavy successful the mediate of the taxiway adjacent to the runway, according to a Japanese transport ministry official.

A weaponry disposal squad from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force aboriginal recovered that the origin of the detonation was an American weaponry that had been buried beneath the onshore surface, astir apt dating to a wartime aerial raid, the authoritative said.

No injuries were reported but unrecorded cam footage showed an airplane had been taxiing adjacent conscionable 2 minutes earlier the explosion, according to section broadcaster MRT.

The runway shutdown has led to the grounding of 87 flights but determination is nary information of immoderate further explosions and repair works to capable the spread should beryllium completed by Thursday morning, said Japan's apical authorities spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi.

The affected flights were operated by JAL, ANA and different airlines connecting Miyazaki with cities specified arsenic Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka, according to the airdrome website.

Located astatine the southeast extremity of Kyushu island, Miyazaki airdrome was formerly a Japanese navy basal until the extremity of World War II, from wherever hundreds of young "kamikaze" pilots acceptable disconnected connected their last missions, according to the Miyazaki metropolis website.

Multiple unexploded bombs antecedently person been recovered astatine Miyazaki airport, the transport ministry authoritative said.

More than 79 years since the extremity of the war, unexploded bombs from the aggravated airstrikes are inactive recovered crossed Japan today. A full of 2,348 bombs weighing 37.5 tons were disposed of during fiscal twelvemonth 2023, the Self-Defense Forces person said.