A photo taken from a Kyodo News aircraft on 8 December 2023 shows Kadena Air Force Base in the southern prefecture of Okinawa, Japan.
An explosion has occurred on the island of Okinawa near the US Kadena Air Base, resulting in four servicemen of the Japan Ground Self-Defence Forces being lightly injured. This was reported by Kyodo News withreference to representatives of the Japanese Ministry of Defence.
The incident occurred as the military was preparing for operations to clear unexploded ordnance. According to the Ministry of Defence, the explosion was unauthorised and occurred at an ammunition depot of the self-defence forces.
“As a result of the incident, the soldiers sustained lacerations to their fingers and possible hearing damage,” the officials said.
According to preliminary information, the explosion occurred in the area of storage of unexploded ammunition, which is a storage facility for dangerous weapons remnants.
Local authorities have not issued an evacuation order as there is no further threat of explosions or fire.
Okinawa Prefecture is still the main US military foothold in Japan. After the island was returned to Tokyo’s jurisdiction in 1972, a significant number of US bases have been located there, including one of the largest in the region, Kadena Air Base.
