By Yang Won-mo, The Public — An explosion inside a tank during live-fire training at the Haji-dai training ground in Oita Prefecture — the largest Japan Ground Self-Defense Force facility in western Japan — killed three service members and seriously injured a fourth, officials said. The vehicle was confirmed to be the Type 10 main battle tank, the JGSDF’s newest model.
According to reports from Sankei Shimbun and others on April 22, the blast occurred around 8:40 a.m. the previous day. A tank unit from the JGSDF’s Western Army was conducting live-fire exercises at Haji-dai when a round reportedly detonated inside the gun tube while crews were preparing to fire or just before firing.
Casualties were confined to the tank crew. Two male crew members, ages 45 and 28, were pronounced dead at the scene. A 32-year-old male crew member was found in cardiac arrest and died after being transported to a hospital. A 21-year-old female crew member suffered burns to her face and other areas; she was taken to a hospital in Fukuoka Prefecture and is reported to be conscious.
Tokyo launched an immediate investigation. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told reporters the ministry is verifying the facts and specific cause, and said the Ministry of Defense and the Self-Defense Forces will do their utmost to determine what happened and to strengthen safety measures. He offered condolences to the families of the deceased. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi also expressed sympathy to the families on social media.
The Type 10 entered service in 2012 as Japan’s most modern main battle tank. Built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, it emphasizes mobility and networked battlefield awareness. The tank has a three-person crew, a top speed of 70 km/h, and an operational range of about 440 km. Its main armament is a 120 mm smoothbore gun. Japanese media report the unit price at roughly ¥2 billion (about $13.4 million).
The Haji-dai training ground spans roughly 17 times the area of Yeouido and is the largest JGSDF training site in western Japan. Safety problems have been raised repeatedly: in August last year, two service members died after being struck by lightning during training there.
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