Miyazaki Airport in southwestern Japan resumed operations Thursday morning, a day after its closure due to the explosion of a US bombshell near its runway. It was most likely dropped during World War II. The transport ministry office at Miyazaki Airport on Wednesday said that a blast was heard on a taxiway shortly before 8 am local time as air traffic controllers saw smoke rising from the site.

The flight operations at Fukuoka Airport officially resumed on Thursday, marking a significant return to normalcy after safety checks led to its temporary closure. The first Japan Airlines flight to Fukuoka took off at approximately 7:40 am (local time) today, signalling a new beginning for travellers and the airport staff.

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The explosion took place near the airport taxiway, leaving an oval-shaped hole measuring approximately 7 meters in length, 4 meters in width, and 1 meter in depth on the asphalt pavement. 

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While no one sustained injuries in the explosion, a total of 87 flights to and from the airport were cancelled as of 2 pm local time as the runway was closed for the day, news agency IANS reported. 

Investigations by Japan's Self-Defense Forces and local authorities have revealed that the sudden explosion at a construction site was caused by a dormant relic from World War II—a 500-pound bomb that had lain undiscovered for decades.