Hand grenades temporarily stored at the former site of the returned northern Okinawa training range

Due to the disappearance of what appears to be hand grenades that had been temporarily stored by the Okinawa Defense Bureau at the site of the returned US military northern training range, the Okinawa Forest Management Office, which manages the site, announced on Wednesday the 24th that entry into the forest is prohibited for the time being. Then it was announced on the homepage.

Jan 29, 2024 - 06:17
Hand grenades temporarily stored at the former site of the returned northern Okinawa training range
Hand grenades temporarily stored at the former site of the returned northern Okinawa training range,

According to the Okinawa Times, a local newspaper in Okinawa, reporting from the management office, the Bureau of Defense has issued a warning to those who have reported entering the forest from the 13th of this month, the day after the loss was announced, and has already started reporting from the 15th. This means that it has not been accepted. The management office also stated that the reason for this was, ``While we have not found what appears to be a grenade, the safety of people entering the forest cannot be ensured.'' On the 23rd of this month, it was revealed that the Defense Bureau had not been aware of the storage status of the grenade in question for three weeks, and it has not been found since that day. The Defense Bureau said, ``If we discover any unexploded ordnance in the future, we will immediately contact the prefectural police and, if possible, take thorough measures such as removing it from the site to an appropriate storage location on the same day.The possibility of an explosion is low.'' Masu. According to the Defense Bureau, a contractor conducting waste survey work at the returned site discovered a hand grenade at the former helicopter landing zone "LZ2A" on December 7, last year. Measures were taken to prevent the grenade from moving, such as placing it in a sandbag and securing it with tape around the grenade.Up until the 20th of the same year, a contractor had been checking the storage status, but on January 10th of the new year, I noticed that it was missing and announced it on the Defense Bureau's website on the 12th of this month.