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Business Standard
3 days ago
- General
- Business Standard
Explosion at US air base in southern Japan injures 4 Japanese soldiers
An explosion at a storage site for unexploded wartime ordinances at a US military base on Japan's southern island of Okinawa injured four Japanese soldiers, though the injuries are not life threatening, officials said on 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 Defence 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 specialises 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 US military, remain buried around Japan and are sometimes dug up at construction sites and elsewhere. In October, an unexploded wartime US bomb exploded at a commercial airport in southern Japan, causing a large crater and suspending dozens of flights.
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
Japanese soldiers injured in Okinawa US military base explosion
Four Japanese soldiers sustained finger injuries in an explosion at a storage site for unexploded wartime ordnance at a US military base in Okinawa. The soldiers were working at an Okinawa prefecture facility storing unexploded ordnance found on the island, a site of intense fighting during World War II. The Self Defence Force (SDF) is investigating reports of the explosion, which occurred at or near Kadena Air Base, involving a team specialising in handling unexploded ordnance. Authorities are working to determine the cause and exact location of the accident. Unexploded wartime bombs remain a hazard in Japan, with a similar incident occurring in October when a US bomb exploded at a commercial airport, disrupting flights.
The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Explosion at US military base in Japan injures four Japanese soldiers
An explosion at a storage site for unexploded wartime ordnances at a US 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 Defence 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 specialises 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.
South China Morning Post
20-05-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Fatal crash spotlights Japan military's ageing aircraft, recruitment struggles
When a T-4 training jet plunged into a reservoir in Aichi prefecture last week, killing at least one crew member, it reignited concerns over the safety of Japan 's military aviation. The crash, part of a troubling series of fatal accidents in recent years, has shaken public trust and underlined the recruitment challenges facing the country's self-defence forces. The T-4 aircraft, carrying two crew members, went down just two minutes after taking off from Komaki Air Base last Wednesday . Search teams have recovered the body of one crew member, while efforts continue to locate the other in the murky waters of the reservoir. Analysts warn that the crash, which has prompted fresh scrutiny of the Air Self-Defence Force's safety protocols and ageing equipment, is likely to make attracting new recruits to Japan's already overstretched military even more difficult. 'If serious incidents continue to occur almost every year, the public's trust in the SDF could be lost,' the Yomiuri Shimbun said in a May 16 editorial. The newspaper raised questions about possible maintenance lapses or pilot error and cautioned that such accidents could deepen the military's manpower crisis. A similar editorial from the Mainichi Shimbun echoed these concerns: 'Unless the SDF does the utmost to prevent recurrences and works to alleviate the public's concerns, trust in the forces could be shaken.'
Malay Mail
14-05-2025
- General
- Malay Mail
Japan Self-Defence Force aircraft crashes near Inuyama after take-off
TOKYO, May 14 — A Self-Defence Force training aircraft crashed after taking off from a military base in central Japan, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Wednesday, declining to elaborate further. A defence ministry spokesperson said it is collecting information. Japanese public broadcaster NHK, citing multiple defence ministry officials, reported that the T-4 training aircraft disappeared from radar while flying near Inuyama city in Aichi prefecture. A representative from the Inuyama city fire department told Reuters that the aircraft likely carried two people on board. The local fire department received a call reporting that something resembling an aircraft had crashed into a pond in Inuyama shortly after 3 p.m. (0600 GMT), according to NHK. — Reuters
