Unexploded US bomb caused minor blast at Japan airport

TOKYO: A minor blast at a regional Japanese airport was caused by an unexploded US bomb, officials said on Wednesday, with reports saying the device likely dated from World War II.

The airport in southern Japan originated in 1943 as an imperial Japanese navy base, sending dozens of “kamikaze” aircraft on suicide missions.

Footage on Japanese media showed a cloud of dust rising from a blast on a taxiway at Miyazaki airport on the island of Kyushu.

There were no reports of injuries but dozens of flights were cancelled. The airport confirmed part of a taxiway had caved in. The official added that it was not known whether the bomb was dropped during World War II, though local media reported it likely was.

Other unexploded ordinance dropped by the United States was reportedly found at a nearby construction site in 2009 and 2011.