WORLD : Sea Neutralizes H-Bomb, Japan Told

A U.S. hydrogen bomb was crushed by sea pressure when it fell into the Pacific Ocean off Japan 24 years ago, and its nuclear material has dissolved harmlessly on the sea floor, the United States has told Japan.

The material poses no environmental hazard, the U.S. Defense Department said in a report given to the Japanese Embassy in Washington on Friday. A copy was given to the news services today after Cabinet members said Japan would check for possible environmental dangers.

The Foreign Ministry later formed a team to evaluate the U.S. report and decide whether more studies are needed. The experts come from the Defense Agency, the Coast Guard, the Environmental Agency and the fisheries authority.