JAPAN TIMES



 

An object resembling an unexploded bomb has been found in a residential area in Tokyo, with nearby residents temporarily urged to stay away from the site of the discovery.

Around 4:20 p.m. Friday, police received an emergency call reporting that there is something that appears to be a dud shell at a construction site in a residential neighborhood in the Akabanenishi district in the capital's Kita Ward.

A Self-Defense Forces shell disposal unit sent to the scene in response to the phone call, which was from a person related to the construction work, found what looked like a rusty unexploded shell, the Defense Ministry said.

The unit recovered the object, concluding that there was no risk of explosion.

No one was injured in the incident, according to the Akabane police station of the Metropolitan Police Department. The police station cordoned off areas around the site until shortly after 7 p.m. Local residents has been temporarily urged to evacuate.

"I've heard that bombs were dropped in this area" during World War II, a 66-year-old man living nearby who temporarily evacuated to a local community center said. "I had thought it wouldn't be strange if (unexploded bombs) are found."

"I'm scared," a local woman said, adding, "If an explosion occurs, I would have to think about moving."

The construction site is about 500 meters southwest of Akabane Station. An elementary school and the Ajinomoto National Training Center are located nearby.