August 28, 2021

The Japanese Communist Party Okinawa Prefectural Committee and the JCP prefectural assemblymembers’ group on August 27 filed with the Okinawa Defense Bureau a protest against the discharge of wastewater containing PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) from the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station into the local sewage system, demanding a swift halt to the wastewater discharge.

Furthermore, the JCP demanded suspension of the operation of the Futenma base followed by the closure and removal of the base.

JCP member of the House of Representatives Akamine Seiken, who heads the JCP prefectural committee, submitted the party’s written request which includes the above-mentioned items to Defense Bureau chief Ono Isao.

The JCP document referred to the fact that how to dispose of PFOS-contaminated wastewater is under discussion between Japan and the United States, and that the governments of Okinawa Prefecture and Ginowan City, which hosts the Futenma base, had requested the U.S. forces not to release the toxic wastewater. The document strongly criticizes the U.S. military’s act of discharging the wastewater as outrageous and for showing their disrespect for the wellbeing of Okinawans.

The JCP in its document urged the Japanese and U.S. governments to remove PFOS-containing fire foams and PFOS storage facilities from the Futenma base, allow local authorities to enter the Futenma base to conduct investigations regarding the PFOS issue, and drastically review the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement.

The Defense Bureau head in his reply said that the bureau requested the U.S. military to stop emitting PFOS-tainted wastewater, but refused to share the U.S. response to this request.

The JCP prefectural assemblymembers’ group on August 27 also made representations to the Foreign Ministry’s Okinawa Office regarding this matter.