Naha City in Okinawa Prefecture, southwestern Japan, has asked about 1,400 people to temporarily evacuate ahead of a large-scale operation to dispose of an unexploded bomb from World War Two scheduled in the city on Sunday.
The bomb was found during sewage work in a residential area of the prefectural capital last December.
The area was a fierce battleground near the headquarters built by the now-defunct Imperial Japanese Army beneath the historic Shuri Castle during the Battle of Okinawa 79 years ago.
An investigation by Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force found that the object is believed to be a 250-kilogram bomb dropped from a US military aircraft.
The GSDF says the munition is about 1.2 meters long and 36 centimeters in diameter. It says it has decided to remove its fuse at the site as there is a risk of explosion.
The work is expected to be completed by around 2 p.m.
Naha officials have asked about 1,400 people staying within a radius of about 280 meters from the bomb, including residents, company employees and hotel guests, to temporarily evacuate from 8:50 a.m. They have also set up three evacuation centers.
The city has apologized for the inconvenience but asked for understanding and cooperation as it says it puts safety first, bearing in mind accidents that occurred in the past.
Toward the end of World War Two, Okinawa was pounded by a huge amount of ordnance, estimated at a total of around 200,000 tons. About 10,000 tons of it is thought not to have exploded.
Residents, the US military and others had disposed of half that amount by the time Okinawa was returned to Japan in 1972.
In March 1974, a land mine buried by the Imperial Japanese Army exploded near a kindergarten in Naha City. Four people, including a 3-year-old girl, died and 34 others were injured. The GSDF formed a unit specializing in unexploded bomb disposal three months later.
Analysts say it may take another 70 to 100 years to dispose of all the duds buried in the prefecture.