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

Mar. 15, 2025

Aftermath of the explosion at Miyazaki Airport.Photo:Kyodo via AP

Kyodo via AP

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 Newsand theAssociated Pressreport. While the incident led to the cancellation of more than 80 flights, there were no reported injuries, according to both outlets.

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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.

The crater that the explosion left behind.Kyodo via AP

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 toReuters. 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 Timesreports that the site was the origin of dozens of kamikaze missions.

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In 2020, abomb from WWII killed two menin 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.

source: people.com