July 22, 2020
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2020 July 22 - 28 [US FORCES]
Pushed by public pressure, USFJ begins reporting COVID-19 cases at each base |
The U.S. Forces Japan on its official website began releasing the number of new COVID-19 cases per base, Akahata learned on July 21.
Facing increasing pressure from U.S. base-hosting municipalities and their residents in the wake of an increase in infections among the U.S. military, the USFJ made this decision by partially revising its stance to not disclose the number of coronavirus cases at each base and unit which follows the corona-related DoD guidance.
The U.S. military, however, still refuses to publish detailed information such as infected individuals’ action history and the units they are attached with. Considering that the U.S. Forces Korea discloses such information, the USFJ’s attitude is unreasonable.
According to the USFJ website, as of July 16, a total of 140 cases were reported at U.S. bases in Japan, including the Yokota base (Tokyo), the Iwakuni base (Yamaguchi), and the Futenma base (Okinawa).
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Japan’s Defense Minister Kono Taro on July 21 at a press conference announced that the USFJ will oblige all military personnel entering Japan to take PCR tests upon their arrival. He explained that this measure was already implemented in the U.S. Kadena base in Okinawa and will be applied to other U.S. bases across Japan. According to the minister, however, these servicemen will leave the United States without taking the test.
The Defense Minister also explained a government plan to conduct PCR tests on Japanese employees working at U.S. bases in Japan. For starters, this plan will cover Japanese workers at U.S. bases in Okinawa who work in shops and other facilities where groups of people gather.
Past related articles:
> 60 new COVID-19 cases found among US military in Okinawa [July 12, 2020]
> Shii: US military quarantine measure should be subject to domestic laws meeting anti-coronavirus measures [June 26, 2020]
> JCP Akamine demands information disclosure regarding the number of coronavirus cases among US troops in Japan [April 5 & 6, 2020]
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