Thousands evacuated as WWII bomb defused in Japan

About 5,400 residents were evacuated in Osaka in western Japan and highways were closed today as army experts disposed of a large unexploded bomb believed to have been dropped by the US military during the Second World War, authorities said.

An explosives disposal unit from the Japanese military safely defused the rusty, 1-ton bomb in the crowded residential area during a 50-minute operation, local army spokesman Shoji Matsumoto said.