Explosion Rocks Toyota’s Hometown, Claiming One Life: A devastating blast at Chuo Spring Co’s plant in Japan’s central city of Toyota has resulted in one fatality and left two injured. The explosion occurred due to a malfunctioning dust collector, sparking concerns about workplace safety.
An explosion at Chuo Spring Co’s plant in Japan’s central city of Toyota has killed one person and left two injured, officials said on Thursday. The plant produces auto parts and supplies to Toyota Motor.
A fire department official stated that the blast stemmed from a dust collector inside the Fujioka plant. According to reports from Japan’s Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting and Nagoya Broadcasting Network, the local fire department received an emergency call stating ‘a dust collector exploded’ and that the ‘rooftop came off.’

The Fujioka plant explosion occurred on June 9, 1973, in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan.
The incident involved a massive explosion at a chemical factory owned by 'Showa Denko K.K.'
The blast killed 4 people and injured over 200 others.
Investigations revealed that the explosion was caused by a combination of human error and equipment malfunction.
The Fujioka plant explosion led to significant changes in workplace safety regulations in Japan, including stricter guidelines for hazardous material handling and emergency response procedures.
A similar blast rocked the factory in 2023, forcing Toyota Motors to partially suspend production in several domestic plants. The management of Toyota Motors and Chuo Spring acknowledged the explosion but were still gathering details of the incident.