Japan Press Weekly

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2019 December 4 - 10 [US FORCES]

Removal operation of US dummy bomb in Aomori suspended

A dummy bomb a U.S. F-16 fighter based at the U.S. Misawa Air Base in Aomori accidently dropped a month ago on private land in Aomori's Rokkasho Village has not yet been removed from the site.

In response to an inquiry by Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Representatives Takahashi Chizuko, the government on December 6 revealed that the U.S. recovery operation has been suspended and that the cause of the incident is still unknown.

According to a written statement the Cabinet approved, efforts to excavate the site to search for the dummy bomb had been taking place but the U.S. military had to suspend the search due to groundwater leakage around the spot where the dummy may have landed.

The Cabinet also explained that the U.S. forces are currently looking for ways to locate and extract the dummy bomb and have temporarily refrained from military drills using dummy bombs. However, flight training exercises involving F-16s have been resumed.

Past related article:
> US F16 fighter accidently drops dummy bomb in Aomori [November 8 & 9, 2019]