4 in Okinawa unexploded bomb disposal unit hurt in explosion
Four Self-Defense Force members were slightly injured in an explosion on June 9 while handling unexploded bombs at a storage facility on Okinawa's main island.
The injuries were the first for members of the 101st Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company of the Ground SDF's 15th Brigade, which deals with at least one request per day for removing unexploded ordnance left from World War II.
The explosion occurred around 11:15 a.m. at a temporary depot for unexploded bombs inside the U.S. military's Kadena Ammunition Storage Area, which straddles Yomitan village, Okinawa city, Kadena town and other municipalities, a Defense Ministry official said.
The four suffered minor injuries, including burns on their fingers, which were not considered life-threatening.
At the time of the explosion, the unit members were scraping rust off unexploded bombs and engaged in other work at the depot, which is managed by the Okinawa prefectural government.
The Kadena Ammunition Storage Area, which spans about 2,600 hectares, includes an SDF training area and munitions depot, as well as facilities used by the prefectural government, an electric power company and other parties.
The 101st Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company, based in the prefectural capital of Naha, defuses unexploded bombs at the sites when necessary and brings them to the depot.
Okinawa, Japan's southwestern island prefecture, was the site of a fierce ground battle against the United States in the closing months of the Pacific War. It is estimated that more than 1,800 tons of unexploded bombs still remain buried at the end of 2023.
Okinawa accounted for about 52 percent of all unexploded bombs that were disposed of around the country in fiscal 2023.
Unexploded ordnance detonations have continued to plague Okinawans.
While Okinawa was under U.S. administration through 1971, 704 people were killed by explosions and other accidents.
Four people, including a small child, were killed and 34 others were injured when an unexploded bomb detonated during sewerage work in Naha in 1973.
Two elementary school pupils suffered burns from an explosion in the southern part of Okinawa's main island in 1975.
In 2009, a construction worker was seriously injured in an accident in Itoman in the prefecture.
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