Projectile event in Japan on Fri 5th April 2024

Some 220 people were evacuated here after a resident turned up at a city hall with an unexploded artillery shell they found while cleaning up their family home. Hokkaido Prefectural Police received a call from Mikasa City Hall at about 12:10 p.m. on April 5 reporting that someone had brought in what appeared to be an unexploded shell. The incident triggered the evacuation of some 200 workers and visitors at the city hall and about 20 neighboring residents.According to Iwamizawa Police Station, the resident found a metal cylindrical object while cleaning up their family home, and brought it to the city hall. It was about 15 centimeters long and 5 centimeters in diameter. In addition to clearing everyone out of the city hall, people within a 100-meter radius were forbidden from entering the area. The evacuation order and restrictions were lifted at around 3:40 p.m. that day after Japan's Self-Defense Forces confirmed that there was no danger of an explosion. The prefectural police's security division commented, "If you find something that looks like an unexploded shell, do not touch it or take it out, and call (the police emergency number) 110 immediately."Mikasa City Hall posted a notice on its website on April 5, stating, "Currently, an object believed to be an explosive device has been brought into the city hall. The city hall is closed to deal with the situation. Counter and telephone services are not available."