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Environmental Contamination at USMC bases on Okinawa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2025

Jon Mitchell
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Abstract

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USMC handbooks and reports obtained under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act casts new light on environmental accidents that occurred on three of the USMC's most important installations on Okinawa: MCAS Futenma, Camp Hansen and Camp Schwab. The earliest report is dated June 2002 and the most recent June 2016. Of the 270 accidents, it appears that only 6 were reported to Japanese authorities - 3 of which because the USMC required the help of local emergency services to clean up. This report examines the environmental contamination resulting from these accidents and the handling of the cases by the USMC authorities.

Type
Research Article
Information
Asia-Pacific Journal , Volume 15 , Issue 4 , February 2017 , e1
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2017

References

Notes

1 “High levels of arsenic found at Okinawa chopper crash site,” Japan Times, February 18, 2014. Available here.

2 Comments were reported by The Okinawa Times - 緊急通報手順 米側に照会中 - on October 29, 2016.

3 “Air Force studies dating back decades show danger of foam that contaminated Colorado Springs-area water,” The Gazette, October 23, 2016. Available here.

4 “Drinking Water Health Advisories for PFOA and PFOS,” Environmental Protection Agency. Available here.

5 For example, see 普天間飛行場周辺でもPFOS検出 沖縄県が調査, Okinawa Times, February 25, 2016. Available here.

6 Jon Mitchell, “FOIA Documents: Drunk US Marine's 2015 dump of toxic foam among accidents polluting Okinawa water supply”, The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 14, Issue 7, No. 3, April 1, 2016. Available here.

7 Jon Mitchell, “Contamination at Largest US Air Force Base in Asia: Kadena, Okinawa”, The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 14, Issue 9, No. 1, May 1, 2016. Available here.

8 Jon Mitchell, “FOIA Documents Reveal Agent Orange Dioxin, Toxic Dumps, Fish Kills on Okinawa Base. Two Veterans Win Compensation, Many More Denied”, The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 13, Issue 39, No. 1, October 5, 2015. Available here.

9 See for example ハブから再びPCB キンザー周辺 DDT類も検出, Ryukyu Shimpo, January 21, 2017. Available here.

10 Mitchell, October 5, 2015.