Okinawan assembly amends environmental ordinance to allow authorities to enter U.S. bases for investigation of pollution

Japan Press Weekly

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Okinawan assembly amends environmental ordinance to allow authorities to enter U.S. bases for investigation of pollution

The Okinawa Prefectural Assembly on December 13 unanimously adopted a bill to revise the prefecture’s ordinance for environmental protection to allow the prefectural authorities to enter U.S. bases in Okinawa with the aim of checking on the extent of pollution on the bases.

This is the first Japanese local ordinance code to recognize the prefectural right to carry out investigations of pollution cases on U.S. military bases.

In Okinawa, during the U.S. occupation in the aftermath of Japan’s surrender in World War II and even after the administrative rights over Okinawa was returned to Japan in 1972, U.S. military bases continued to be a major source of environmental problems in Okinawa such as noise problems caused by military aircraft, oil leaks and contamination of water, forest fires caused by live-shell firing exercises, toxic dump sites, and radioactive leakage from U.S. submarines.

In 2006, the prefectural Council on Environment recommended that the prefectural ordinance to protect the environment be revised to include provisions regarding problems related to U.S. military bases.

In June 2008, the prefectural government drafted a bill to revise the ordinance for the first time in 30 years without provisions allowing the prefectural authorities to enter U.S. military bases for the investigation of pollution, regarding that such provisions will not be effective because of the existence of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement.

In the prefectural assembly election in the same month, the Japanese Communist Party increased its seats and the ruling Liberal Democratic and Komei parties suffered a serious setback, paving the way for amending the bill to include provisions on measures against environmental destruction caused by U.S. military bases.

A five-point resolution was adopted in relation to the bill to amend the ordinance calling on the U.S. Forces to immediately accept any local requests to allow investigators to enter U.S. bases and that the Japanese domestic environmental laws should be applied to U.S. military bases.

The resolution demands that the Japanese and U.S. governments take urgent measures so that the Okinawan requests will be accepted without delay.

- Akahata, December 20, 2008