Explosions Reported at U.S. Military Base in Japan
The Japanese Broadcasting Corporation Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai is reporting that the Sagami General Depot, a U.S. Army post in Sagamihara, Japan, has been rocked by at least one explosion, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
“We’re aware of the report, but we don’t have confirmation that the explosion occurred on the base,” Pentagon spokesman U.S. Navy Commander Bill Urban told Reuters. The post stores petroleum products and ammunition.
Initial explanation seems to be an accidental fire somehow broke out at storehouse that apparently had some explosive materials in it.
— SNA Japan (@ShingetsuNews) August 23, 2015
Japanese police believe that left-wing Japanese extremists are responsible for three explosions that shook a U.S. Army base near Tokyo in April, the Wall Street Journal reported.
💥Explosion at #US military facility in #Sagamihara City in the #Kanagawa #Japan 📹📷https://t.co/TRZnq8noga pic.twitter.com/QU5UdMZy9L
— Mete Sohtaoğlu (@metesohtaoglu) August 23, 2015
Update 3:44 p.m. – The Pentagon has confirmed that there was an explosion at the Sagami Depot. “There are no reports of injury, and base firefighters and first responders are currently fighting the resulting fire to prevent its spread to nearby buildings,” Commander Urban told Agence France Press. “These are all the details we have at this time and will provide further information as we receive it.”
Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.