
Explosion rocks US airbase in Japan's Okinawa; 4 injured
A defence ministry spokesman said they had received reports of an explosion at the Japan Self-Defence Forces (SDF) facility inside Kadena Air Base in the southern Japanese region.
Jiji Press and other local media said four injuries had been reported, but none were life-threatening.
Public broadcaster NHK said, citing unnamed defence ministry sources, that the explosion may have occurred at a temporary storage site for unexploded bombs, with officials trying to confirm the situation.
'We've heard there was an explosion at the SDF facility and also heard there were injuries but we don't have further details,' said Yuta Matsuda, a local official of Yomitan village in Okinawa.
More to follow …
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- South China Morning Post
North Korean civilian detained after crossing mined land border ‘with help of Seoul military'
A North Korean civilian voluntarily crossed the heavily mined land border between the two countries, aided by the South's military in a delicate 20-hour operation, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on Friday. Tens of thousands of North Koreans have fled to South Korea since the peninsula was divided by war in the 1950s, with most going overland to neighbouring China first, then entering a third country such as Thailand before finally making it to the South. Defections across the land border that divides the peninsula are relatively rare, as the area is densely forested, heavily mined and monitored by soldiers on both sides. The North Korean man was first detected by a South Korean military surveillance device sometime between 3am and 4am local time on Thursday near a shallow stream inside the demilitarised zone (DMZ), the JCS said. The man stayed mostly still during the day and was sometimes hard to track due to the lush forest in the area, but South Korea's military approached him that night. 01:22 South Korea suspends propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts along border to North Korea South Korea suspends propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts along border to North Korea 'The military identified the individual near the MDL, conducted tracking and surveillance,' the JCS said in a statement, referring to the Military Demarcation Line, the de facto border.


South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Japan man sneaks into colleague's home 20 times, takes photos to let her ‘feel his presence'
A man in Japan copied the house key of a colleague, sneaked into her home 20 times and took more than 300 photographs in a bizarre attempt to get her attention. Tokyo office worker Yuki Murai, 27, was described as quiet and reserved, with few social connections at work. About six months ago, a new administrative assistant joined the company where he works. She quickly became popular for her sweet looks and gentle personality. After meeting her at a company dinner, Murai began messaging her frequently, asking about her lunch, her favourite animals and other personal matters. The police arrested Yuki Murai after the woman installed surveillance cameras in her home. Photo: Weixin She replied a few times out of politeness but eventually stopped engaging.


South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Japan firm slammed for forced nude photos, testicle-grabbing to punish mediocre staff
A Japanese company has sparked outrage by dishing out degrading punishments to staff who fail to meet sales targets. Advertisement Underperforming employees were forced to take nude photos of themselves and were physically assaulted, including having their testicles grabbed by the boss. The incident came to light after five former employees of the Neo Corporation, headquartered in Osaka, filed a lawsuit in March alleging verbal abuse and power harassment. Founded in 1999, the Neo Corporation sells electricity and energy-saving equipment, as well as installing it. The firm has nine branches across Japan. Five former employees filed a lawsuit against the Neo Corporation in March. Photo: Shutterstock The company had previously drawn attention for its bold recruitment advertisements, which claimed that the average annual income for sales staff in 2024 was 14.27 million yen (US$98,000), with 57.1 per cent of its salespeople earning more than 10 million yen (US$70,000) a year.