Over 300 unexploded ordinances dating back to the Battle of Okinawa were disposed of underwater off the coast of Naha Port
In Naha Port, Okinawa Prefecture, over 300 unexploded ordinances found between March and November this year were disposed of underwater off the coast on the 14th of December.
In the Shinto Wharf area of Naha Port, unexploded ordinances were discovered one after another in the process of dredging works conducted between March and November. These ordnances, thought to have been used by the US military, totalled around 630 rounds of ammunition, including 3 inch shells and small-arms ammunition.
Naha City has divided the disposal works of these unexploded ordinances into two occasions, the first having taken place on 14 December, where 319 rounds were sunken roughly 800 metres off the coast of the port. Divers from the Maritime Self Defence Force subsequently attached explosives to the sunken ordinances.
And at 1015 AM, with the issuance of the detonation order, there was a deep earth rumble accompanied by a loud bang, following which a water pillar around 20 metres tall appeared.
According to Naha City, 319 is the highest number of unexploded ordinances disposed underwater within the city since Heisei year 7.
Even now, 76 years after the Battle of Okinawa, unexploded ordinances are still being found. In Okinawa, around 20 tonnes of unexploded ordinances are disposed of every year.
The director of the task force working in Naha City, Deputy Mayor Chinen Satoru said, “No matter on land or at sea, I’m not sure how many years it will take for these unexploded ordinances to be disposed of, but I wish to prioritise the lives and safety of citizens of the prefecture while proceeding with these works.”
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