World War II bomb explosion halts over 80 flights at Japanese airport

An unexploded World War II-era U.S. bomb detonated at Miyazaki Airport in southwestern Japan on Wednesday. The sudden explosion ripped through a taxiway, leaving behind a crater and forcing the cancellation of over 80 flights. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

Japanese Land and Transport Ministry officials confirmed that no aircraft were near the explosion, and an investigation by the Self-Defense Forces identified the blast as originating from a 500-pound bomb, likely dropped by U.S. forces during the war. Authorities are still probing the cause of the bomb’s sudden detonation.

Video footage captured by a nearby aviation school showed fragments of asphalt shooting into the air, resembling a volcanic eruption. News footage later revealed the extent of the damage—an estimated 7-meter-wide, 1-meter-deep crater scarring the runway.

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Miyazaki Airport, originally a Japanese Navy flight training ground during the war, has a direct historical link to the conflict, with kamikaze pilots once departing from its grounds. Despite thorough efforts to clear the area of unexploded ordnance, remnants of the war continue to resurface.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi addressed the incident, reassuring the public: “More than 80 flights were canceled, but safety is our priority. We are working to resume normal operations by Thursday morning.”

Japan continues to face the hidden dangers of World War II, with hundreds of tons of unexploded bombs still buried across the country, unearthed occasionally during construction. Today’s explosion, while shocking, serves as a stark reminder that the echoes of war are never too far beneath the surface.