WWII US bomb forces evacuation in Japan

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TOKYO, Jul 13 (AP): About 5,400 residents were evacuated in Osaka in western Japan and flights at nearby airports were rerouted Sunday as army experts disposed of a large unexploded bomb believed to have been dropped by the US military during World War II, authorities said.

An explosives disposal unit from Japan's Ground Self-Defence Force safely defused the rusty one-ton bomb in the crowded residential area during a 50-minute operation, local army spokesman Shoji Matsumoto said.

Nearby highways and roads were closed, and city buses, boats and flights in and out of nearby airports were rerouted, city officials said in a statement.

The bomb-about 6 feet long-was found by workers at a construction site last month, Matsumoto said.