Flights Canceled at a Regional Airport in Japan Because of Explosion of WWII Bomb

Miyazaki Airport, a regional airport in the Miyazaki Prefecture of Japan, was forced to close on Wednesday after a U.S. bombshell from World War II exploded near its runway.

More than 90 flights from Miyazaki were canceled because of the explosion, which produced a 23-foot-wide crater in the taxiway. The explosion happened around 8 a.m. local time and all flights were suspended shortly after.

The explosion was caught on camera by the local civil aviation college, which uses Miyazaki as a training base:

Officials confirmed in a press conference that the explosion was caused by a U.S.-made bomb that was likely there since WWII, a not uncommon occurrence at the airport. Two unexploded shells were found at the airport in 2011 and another in 2021. The airport opened in 1943 as a base for the Japanese Navy and was the subject of bombing campaigns from the U.S. and Allied forces.

Today, the airport mostly serves other Japanese destinations, including Tokyo-Haneda (HAN) via Japan Airlines and Fukuoka (FUK), Nagoya–Centrair (NGO), and Osaka–Itami (ITM) via ANA Wings. It is also the headquarters for regional carrier Solaseed Air.