THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
April 21, 2026 at 16:20 JST
Three Ground Self-Defense Force tank crew members were killed and another injured when a shell exploded at 8:39 a.m. on April 21 during a live‑fire exercise at the Hijudai Training Area in Oita Prefecture.
The three GSDF members and the wounded member were riding in a Type 10 tank when a shell it was carrying exploded, according to the Defense Ministry.
They belong to the GSDF's Western Army Tank Unit.
Speaking to reporters the same day, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi called the accident “extremely regrettable.”
“The Defense Ministry and Self-Defense Forces will work to identify the cause and ensure proper safety management,” Koizumi said.
A 60‑year‑old woman who works at a post office near the training area said she saw about 10 ambulances and fire engines rushing to the site with blaring sirens.
“At first I thought there must have been a fire, but I was shocked to hear the news,” she said.
The woman recalled hearing repeated booming sounds.
“There were loud bangs, but that’s something we’re used to, so I couldn’t tell which one was the explosion,” she said, adding that she felt deeply sorry for the SDF personnel involved.
A man at a nearby campsite also said that hearing the sound of live-fire training during SDF exercises was part of daily life in the area, so he didn't sense there was anything abnormal.
The Hijudai Training Area, which spans approximately 4,900 hectares across Oita Prefecture’s Kusu, Yufu and another municipality, is the largest GSDF training ground in western Japan. It is also used for live‑fire exercises by U.S. Marines based in Okinawa Prefecture.
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The Ground Self-Defense Force's Hijudai Training Area in Oita Prefecture, where the fatal accident occurred during a live-fire exercise using a Type 10 tank on April 21 (Provided by Kyushu Asahi Broadcasting Co.)
