Runway explosion
A crater is seen in an airport runway after a bomb exploded. rukigafm/X

A regional airport in Japan canceled more than 80 flights on Wednesday after a U.S. bomb from World War II exploded, leaving a large crater on a runway, officials said.

Firefighters responded to Miyazaki Airport on Kyushu island in southwestern Japan at around 7:59 a.m. Wednesday.

Police and a bomb disposal unit of Japan's Self-Defense Forces confirmed the explosion was caused by a 500-pound U.S. bomb, and were investigating what triggered the sudden explosion.

The bomb left a crater approximately 23 feet wide and three feet deep on the tarmac next to the runway.

A nearby aviation school captured video of the explosion, which propelled asphalt and debris into the air just minutes after an aircraft had passed the area.

No one was hurt in the blast.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said the crater is being filled and repaired and the airport hopes to resume normal operations Thursday morning.

Miyazaki Airport, built in 1943, was originally an Imperial Japanese Navy base and flight training field from which some kamikaze pilots launched suicide missions. Defense Ministry officials say other unexploded U.S. bombs have been unearthed in the area, and thousands more have been found across Japan over the years.

In fiscal year 2023 alone, the Self-Defense Forces said 2,348 bombs weighing 41 tons were found and disposed of across the country.

-Reporting with TMX

Japan