Possible Dud Shell Found in Tokyo Residential Area

Tokyo, Oct. 5 (Jiji Press)--An object looking like 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 Kita Ward in the Japanese capital.

A Self-Defense Forces dud shell disposal unit sent to the scene in response to the phone call from a person related to the construction work found what looks like a rusty unexploded shell, sources including the Defense Ministry said. The unit recovered the object, concluding that there is no risk of explosion.

No one was injured in the incident, according to the Akabane police station of Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department. The police station cordoned off areas around the site until shortly after 7 p.m., with local residents 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."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]