
Explosion at U.S. air base in Kadena injures 4 Japan SDF members
An explosion at a storage site for unexploded wartime ordnances at a U.S. military base on Japan's southern island of Okinawa injured four Japanese soldiers, though the injuries are not life threatening, officials said Monday.
The four soldiers had injuries to their fingers while working at a facility that belongs to Okinawa prefecture to store unexploded ordnance found on the island, where one of the harshest battles of World War II was fought, local officials said.
Prefectural officials said the injuries were not life threatening, but no other details were immediately known.
The Self Defense Force's joint staff said they were looking into reports of an explosion at Kadena Air Base that occurred while a team of Japanese soldiers that specializes in handling unexploded ordnance was working near or at the base.
The SDF said they are trying to confirm the cause of the accident and where it occurred.
Hundreds of tons of unexploded wartime bombs, many of them dropped by the U.S. military, remain buried around Japan and are sometimes dug up at construction sites and elsewhere.
In October, an unexploded wartime U.S. bomb exploded at a commercial airport in southern Japan, causing a large crater and suspending dozens of flights.
© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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

4 hours ago
Takenoko: Bamboo Shoots in Japanese Cuisine
Regarded as a quintessential spring ingredient, takenoko is the Japanese name given to the young shoots that sprout up from the underground stems of bamboo, literally meaning 'child of bamboo.' The shoots have a tough, hairy outer skin, which gradually falls off as they grow—once all that skin is gone, they become known as take (bamboo). The time it takes for this transformation is roughly 10 days and it is only during this time that they are soft and edible. This is reflected in the kanji for takenoko 筍 with its crown of 竹 ( take , meaning bamboo) and 旬 ( jun ; 10-day period) underneath. (© Pixta) Bamboo shoots are a key ingredient in Japanese dishes like takenoko gohan (bamboo shoot rice), chikuzenni (simmered chicken and vegetables), and chinjao rōsu (Chinese pepper steak, the taste for which has been adjusted to become a Japanese home-cooked favorite). Pre-processed takenoko can be bought all year round, but the taste of fresh bamboo shoots is a real seasonal treat. Takenoko sashimi, in which newly dug bamboo shoots are thinly sliced and eaten raw, is the height of indulgence and something that can only be experienced right in the place it is grown. The more time that passes after takenoko has been dug up, the more astringent and bitter it becomes, so to enjoy the flavor at its best, the astringency needs to be removed the same day it is purchased. To do this, the outer two or three layers are peeled away and the toughest parts around the base and the tip cut off. After making a slit in the skin, the takenoko is placed in a pan with enough water to cover it, along with rice bran and chili, and then heated. It needs to be simmered from between thirty minutes to one hour, depending on the amount of bamboo shoots. The heat is then turned off and the takenoko left in the pot to cool. (© Pixta) (© Pixta) Once the astringency has been removed, the takenoko is peeled and stored in a container of water in the refrigerator. While it can be kept for around a week if the water is changed every day, the bamboo shoots soon begin to lose their flavor, so are best eaten as soon as possible. (© Pixta) There is a reference to takenoko in the eighth-century chronicle Kojiki . One of the myths tells of Izanagi being chased by fearful hags through the realm of the dead. When he throws down a bamboo comb he had been wearing in his hair, bamboo shoots grow up from it, and he is able to make his escape while the hags stop to devour them. Clearly, there has been a custom of eating takenoko in Japan since ancient times. However, the most common type of takenoko eaten these days are from mōsō bamboo, which was brought to Japan in the mid-Edo period (1603–1868), while the bamboo that appears in the myths is thought to be hachiku , or black bamboo. Takenoko in the Heart of Tokyo Shimazu Yoshitaka, the fourth daimyō of the Satsuma Domain (now Kagoshima Prefecture), is thought to have been the first to import mōsō bamboo from China via the Ryūkyū Islands (now Okinawa) around 1736, planting it at the family villa. It was brought to Edo (now Tokyo) in the late eighteenth century. Until the early twentieth century, bamboo groves grew all around Meguro in central Tokyo, with takenoko regarded as a locally sourced vegetable. One restaurant is said to have attracted visitors to the nearby temple Ryūsenji every spring with its special rice dish, takenoko gohan . (© Pixta) (Originally published in Japanese on May 25, 2025. Banner photo © Pixta.)

4 hours ago
Janome Snake's Eye Umbrellas: Japan's Bamboo and Paper Tradition
Cultural Snapshots Guideto Japan The janome, or 'snake's eye,' is a traditional Japanese pattern featuring circles, often in a concentric 'bullseye' layout. It is commonly seen on paper umbrellas. Warding Off Rain and Evil Janome umbrellas get their name from their pattern of a bold white circle against a strikingly colored background—such as red, blue, or purple—which is said to resemble a snake's eye (janome). These traditional umbrellas consist of a bamboo frame with a canopy made of washi paper that is waterproofed with vegetable oil. When they were in common use in the Edo period (1603–1868), the paper was typically replaced from time to time, as it was less sturdy than the bamboo framework. The umbrellas were customarily believed to protect against more than the elements, as their snake eyes were thought to have the power to ward off bad luck and evil spirits. (Originally written in English. Banner photo © Pixta.)


The Mainichi
17 hours ago
- The Mainichi
News in Easy English: Japan kindergartens change Father's, Mother's Day to 'family day'
TOKYO -- Father's Day this year in Japan is on June 15. But many kindergartens and day care centers are now having "family day" instead of Mother's Day and Father's Day. This change is because families in Japan are different now. There are many single-parent families. In Japan, about 10% of families with children have one parent. Parents shared their feelings about "family day." One person wrote online, "We don't have a dad at home, so I was happy about family day." Another person said, "They think about each family's situation, so I was really glad." Asahi day care center in Ube city changed to family day three years ago. In the past, children made gifts for Mother's Day and Father's Day separately. Now, they celebrate only one special day in late May. Children make gifts and give them to someone important like their parents, grandparents, or family friends. The Poppins Nursery School group, which has many day cares around Japan, also has family day events in May or June. Children make gifts for family members and sometimes show family pictures. But not all places agree. Some kindergartens and day care centers still have Mother's Day and Father's Day. Single parents also have different feelings. One mother wrote, "My child made a gift and drew my face for Father's Day. It made me happy." Another parent said, "I'm a single parent, but I like Mother's Day and Father's Day separately." Some libraries and shops are also changing. Omori-Minami Library in Tokyo used to show children's drawings for Mother's Day and Father's Day. Now, it has a "family portrait exhibition" instead. A library worker said, "We changed because there are many kinds of families now." (Japanese original by Shuji Ozaki, Digital News Group) Vocabulary single-parent family: a family where children live with one parent celebrate: to have a special day or event for a happy reason gift: something nice you give to another person portrait: a drawing of a person's face