@tark or @boom boom can give a better explanation, or correct me if I'm wrong.. “Last Ditch” guns can be pretty dismal as well
From my research most of what actually exploded on folks were likely training rifles.
The last ditch, substitute standards, or navy something or other, while crude and nasty (specially the Navy cast iron guns), were completely safe.
I'd be leery of any rifle that had a catastrophic case failure unless checked by a VERY qualified gunsmith. An Arisaka is probably more than likely ok, unless it was a training rifle, I still wouldn't put it back together without a checkup.