An incident at a U.S. military base on Japan’s southern island of Okinawa resulted in injuries to four Japanese soldiers. The explosion occurred at a storage site for unexploded ordnances, according to reliable sources. While the injuries sustained are not life-threatening, this raises important questions about the safety procedures in place at such facilities.
Reports indicate that the four soldiers were working at a facility that belongs to the Okinawa Prefecture, a location that temporarily stores unexploded ordnance, most remnants from wartime that were later discovered on the island. Okinawa was one of the harshest battles of World War II, leaving behind a legacy of unexploded ordnance.
The U.S. Air Force confirmed that the explosion took place within the Okinawa prefecture government-managed facility at Kadena Air Base’s munitions storage area. It emphasized that no U.S. servicemembers were involved in the incident. The Self Defense Force’s joint staff, however, reported that the explosion transpired as the soldiers were inspecting an ordnance and attempting to remove rust to examine it further. The cause of the accident is currently under investigation.
It has been reported that hundreds of tons of unexploded wartime bombs, many dropped by the U.S. military, remain buried around Japan and are occasionally unearthed at construction sites and other locations. Okinawa, in particular, is believed to contain about 1,856 tons of unexploded U.S. bombs. This development follows earlier reports that in October, an unexploded wartime U.S. bomb detonated at a commercial airport in southern Japan, disrupting flight schedules significantly.
These incidents underscore the ongoing perils associated with unexploded ordnance from past conflicts and the critical importance of vigilant safety measures in handling such hazardous materials. It’s a sobering reminder of a war’s lasting impact, long after its official conclusion.
