WWII bomb find closes Japan's Sendai airport

A major airport in northern Japan was closed after an unexploded bomb believed to be from WWII was found near a runway during construction work.

Flights in and out of Sendai airport were cancelled and a military bomb disposal unit called in.
The 250kg (550lb) bomb has been identified as one made in the US.

The airport was a Japanese military flight school during the war. It was closed for months due to damage from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

The city of Sendai, with a population of more than a million, was very close to the epicentre of the devastating quake.

Parts of the airport - a major hub for travel in northern Japan - is still being reconstructed.
Sendai police official Hiroshi Ouchi said evacuations of nearby homes may be considered.

The bomb disposal team is exploring options to either move the bomb or explode it on site.
It is common for bombs that are duds to be uncovered at constructions sites in Japan - many of its cities were bombed during WWII.

By mid-day local time, 'live' webcam links to the airport's flight information boards were still showing cancellations of both domestic and international flights.

- BBC