Although there were no casualties recorded and no aircraft were in the area at the time, the small explosion left a hole that was roughly seven meters (23 feet) wide.
The bomb is believed to have been dropped during World War Two to stop “kamikaze” planes on suicide missions. It detonated at Miyazaki Airport in southwest Japan.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi stated, “There is no threat of a second explosion, and police and firefighters are currently examining the scene.” The airport was scheduled to reopen on Thursday.
A 500-pound US bomb was verified to be the cause of the explosion by a bomb disposal crew from the Japan Self-Defense Forces.
The bombing was most likely during World War Two, according to local media, despite a transport minister said they were unable to determine the exact time.
Miyazaki Airport, which is situated at the southeast tip of Kyushu Island, was constructed in 1943 as an imperial Japanese navy facility.
In 2009 and 2011, it was reported that further unexploded ordinance dropped by the US had been discovered at a nearby construction site.
There are still unexploded bombs buried all throughout the nation. According to the Reuters news agency, 2,348 bombs totaling 41 tons were disposed of in 2023.
