4 Japan SDF members hurt in blast near U.S. Kadena Air Base
KYODO NEWS - 13 hours ago - 21:34 | All, Japan
Four Japan Ground Self-Defense Force members were slightly injured in an explosion on Monday while handling an unexploded bomb at a depot near the U.S. military's Kadena Air Base in the southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa, local and Defense Ministry officials said.
The ministry officials said the explosion occurred around 11:20 a.m. at a GSDF storage facility for unexploded bombs in Kadena Ammunition Storage Area near the base.
The four members from the 101st explosive ordnance disposal unit, which defuses bombs left over from World War II, were removing rust and mud from an unexploded bomb in preparation for disposal.
They suffered non-life-threatening injuries such as burns, in the first such incident experienced by the unit during their work. No evacuation order was issued for nearby residents.
The U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps are in charge of the ammunition storage area, covering about 26 square kilometers as of March 2024.
According to local authorities, the depot was set up by the prefecture in the storage area for the GSDF to engage in disposal of unexploded bombs.
"It is crucial to take measures as many unexploded bombs are believed to be still buried in Okinawa. We will conduct disposal steadily," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference.
The Self-Defense Forces carried out 1,852 disposal operations for unexploded bombs, dealing with a total of about 35 tons nationwide in fiscal 2023, including 441 operations involving about 19.7 tons in Okinawa, equivalent to about 57 percent of the total.
Okinawa remains home to the bulk of U.S. military facilities in Japan even after its 1972 reversion from U.S. control following Japan's defeat in World War II.
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