The yellow circle shows the location of 110-pound unexploded shell from World War II discovered in Onna Village, Okinawa, March 12, 2024. (Onna Village)

ONNA VILLAGE, Okinawa — Japanese authorities on Thursday night planned to remove an unexploded, 110-pound shell recently discovered at a construction site in Onna Village.

A detail from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force was scheduled to remove the ordnance, believed to be left over from World War II.

The shell was discovered March 12 by a private contractor sweeping the site for magnetic signatures, a spokesman for Onna Village’s General Affairs Division told Stars and Stripes by phone Thursday.

Eight members of the 101st Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit were assigned to remove the shell, a spokesman for the Ground Self-Defense Force 15th Brigade said by phone Thursday. The unit will deactivate the bomb by removing its fuse.

Part of the Route 58 bypass will be closed during the operation, which was expected to start at 6:45 p.m. and last about two hours, the village spokesman said.

Onna Village is a popular resort destination where many prominent hotel chains occupy the shoreline. None of the hotels will be affected by the operation.

Approximately 10,000 tons of ordnance were dropped on Okinawa during the Battle of Okinawa and nearly 2,000 tons remain undiscovered, according to the prefecture’s General Bureau website. Crews disposed of 14.7 tons between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023.