Japan Press Weekly

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2009 March 25 - 31 [TOKYO]

Iwakuni residents are determined to fight against roar of U.S. aircraft at court

Akahata editorial

In Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, 476 residents have filed a noise-pollution lawsuit demanding a halt to flight exercises on the U.S. Marine Corps Iwakuni Air Station.

This is Iwakuni residents’ first legal action against the noise pollution from U.S. aircraft. Also, in their first action that has attracted wide public attention, they are demanding an injunction against the planned relocation of a carrier-borne aircraft unit from the U.S. Atsugi Naval Base in Kanagawa Prefecture. Even after repeated lawsuits against sonic booms from U.S. fighter jets, the Japanese government has consistently been tolerant with U.S. aircraft flight exercises. Residents have continued to be disturbed by noise pollution from aircraft because courts throughout the country have stopped short of ordering the U.S. forces to suspend flight exercises while criticizing the government tolerance. By filing the lawsuit, Iwakuni residents are trying to end the present difficult situation and enable themselves to live humane lives.

Intolerable torture of excessive noise

Iwakuni residents thought that they will be able to get free from noise pollution if the Iwakuni base runway is moved offshore. However, this hope did not come about when the Japanese and U.S. governments decided to relocate to the Iwakuni Base 59 warplanes from the Atsugi Base and 12 warplanes from the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Okinawa. If the Iwakuni Base will be turned into one of the biggest U.S. military facilities in the Far East, residents will have to suffer from even more noise pollution. The court is responsible for responding to them as they had no choice but to file the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs are living in districts with noise levels at 75 or higher on the Weighted Equivalent Continuous Perceived Noise Level Index. The noise should register 70 or lower in residential areas under the government’s own environmental standards. In every lawsuit filed in the past against the roar of U.S. aircraft, their rulings stated that the noise level at 75 or higher is more than people can tolerate and thus is illegal and residents must receive compensation.

Sonic booms from military jets shatter all hopes for a peaceful life, leaving residents afflicted by unbearable pain. Happy family lives are disturbed to the extent that daily conversations are often interrupted.

Specifically, sonic booms caused by late-night and early morning exercises disturb residents’ sleep, causing rapid increases in blood pressure, high heart rates, and irregular breathing rates. Noise pollution from U.S. military aircraft is undermining their constitutional right to “maintain the minimum standards of wholesome and cultured living.” We must put an end to this situation.

The relocation of Atsugi-based U.S. carrier-borne aircraft units to Iwakuni will not only undermine citizens’ peaceful lives but also increase the danger of crashes. Air crew and service members deployed to Iwakuni are likely to commit crimes. It is completely groundless to urge Iwakuni citizens to accept what has been rejected by citizens surrounding the Atsugi air base. The sort of runaround redeployment of military bases cannot be allowed anywhere.

Stationing a total of 130 aircraft at the Iwakuni air base, if enacted, will cause more low-altitude flight exercises by U.S. forces in the Chugoku region that include Yamaguchi and Hiroshima. In this region, residents have been horrified by their low flight training exercises. Increases in such training exercises go against their wish to live in peace.

Connect anti-noise pollution with the struggle against USFJ realignment plan

The government must not try to allay people’s concern by paying them money in compensation for noise pollution damages. The Japanese government should be denounced for attempting to dare to implement the promise of the relocation with the U.S. at the cost of residents’ peaceful lives.

Also, the U.S. military realignment in Iwakuni requires additional housing units for more than 4,000 military personnel and their families moving from U.S. bases at Atsugi and Futenma. The Defense Ministry plans to construct these housing units in the Mt. Atago area, near the Iwakuni base, where the top soil was removed for the reclamation of land for another runway on the base.

However, the Iwakuni citizens’ association to preserve Mt. Atago has collected more than 100,000 petition signatures urging the city to not allow housing construction for additional U.S. aircrews and their families. This represents how strong the residents’ determination to make Iwakuni free from excessive flight noise and the danger of crashes.

The government must comply with the constitutional right of citizens to live in peace, which has been upheld by citizens and their campaign. It is expected that the citizens’ campaign will help trigger consultations between the Japanese and U.S. governments to curb noise pollution around the base so that the government’s attempts to consolidate and realign the U.S. military force in Japan will be foiled.