An unexploded 81-millimeter mortar shell found at a seaside site in Tosa, Kochi Prefecture, on November 2 forced about 120 residents to evacuate and took roughly six hours to clear, with care-home staff saying guiding their residents out took too long.
Workers sorting earth at a seaside square near the Okawa bridge in Usa-cho found the shell at around 3:30 p.m. and reported it to police through the prefectural civil engineering office, FNN Prime Online reported.
A resident who lives near the site said the discovery came out of nowhere. "If it had been right in front of me it would be frightening," the person said. "Something like that suddenly happening was a shock."
The city issued an evacuation order at 6:30 p.m. for residents within about 300 meters of the site, and police closed a section of Prefectural Route 23 to traffic.
Care home residents among those moved
About 120 people took shelter at the USA Kuroshio Center, including residents of a care home near the site and students from a Kochi Marine High School dormitory.
One dormitory student said they were told to come to the shelter because an unexploded shell made the area dangerous. "I often fish near there, so I'm a little scared," the student said. Another said the evacuation was a first and the uncertainty was unsettling.
A care home staff member said the facility had seen such scenes on TV but never expected one so close. "Even with training it's difficult," the staff member said. "Many of our residents can't move their legs and hips freely, so guiding them out took quite a while."
Round recovered after midnight
The object was identified as an 81-millimeter mortar shell about 30 centimeters long and 10 centimeters wide. It was confirmed to pose no danger of exploding.
Self-Defense Forces personnel recovered the shell at around 12:30 a.m. on November 3, after the date had changed. The evacuation order and the road closure were then lifted.
No one was injured. The episode left local disaster planning with a lesson on guiding elderly and other residents who need assistance during a sudden emergency.