The Sendai Airport is one of the most important airports of the Miyagi Prefecture. The airport was shut down after construction workers found an unexploded bomb, which was believed to be from World War II. The bomb weighed 250 kilograms and all 92 flights in and out of Sendai airport were cancelled.
The bomb was recovered during construction work was being carried out near a runway. It has been identified as being American made, and is believed to be a dud from World War II. Reports said that it had a working detonator and a military bomb squad was considering whether to move the bomb or explode it on the spot.
Local police official Hiroshi Ouchi said that evacuations of the nearby homes was also considered. The Sendai Airport is a major hub for travel into northern Japan. The airport was closed for months due to severe damage during last year’s tsunami, and it is still undergoing reconstruction.
Japanese sites were heavily bombed by the United States during World War II, and finding an unexploded bomb is not unusual. The bomb was found 67 years after Japan surrendered. Several duds are still recovered in Tokyo every year, and even more have been found in the southern island of Okinawa, which has been a site of intense war.
