Osaka: Unexploded WWII bomb safely removed from building site

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:49 JST, August 13, 2022

SUITA, Osaka — Local residents in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, were temporarily evacuated July 24 to facilitate the safe removal of an unexploded bomb that was discovered at a building site.

The bomb — 1.8 meters long and 0.6 meters in diameter — is believed to have been dropped during World War II by U.S. forces, but it failed to explode. It was found at an apartment construction site in April.

Ground Self-Defense Force personnel removed the fuse from the ordnance, then used a crane to load it onto a truck for removal.

About 150 people were evacuated to shelters set up at elementary schools and the city hall, and were temporarily banned from entering the operational area. West Japan Railway Co. reduced the number of trains on the Tokaido and other lines on the day with a total 162 services suspended, affecting about 48,000 passengers.