OITA PREFECTURE — A shell exploded inside a Type 10 main battle tank during a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force live-fire exercise at the Hijudai Training Area in Oita Prefecture on April 21, 2026, killing three soldiers and injuring one, officials said. The three who died were the tank commander, the gunner and a safety officer, while the driver, the fourth occupant, survived with injuries.

The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force has suspended live-fire exercises using Type 10 and Type 90 tanks while officials investigate the cause and details of the accident, Masayoshi Arai, chief of staff of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, said. "We will promptly determine the cause so that we can take preventive measures," Arai said.

The Type 10 is the newest main battle tank of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and entered service in 2011, fifteen years before the April 2026 incident. The tank had four occupants at the time of the exercise: the commander, the gunner, a safety officer and the driver. The three crew members who were killed died when the shell detonated inside the vehicle during the live-fire drill at Hijudai Training Area.