Japan Press Weekly

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2022 April 27 - May 10 [US FORCES]

US applies double standard to Japan regarding PFAS investigations around US military bases

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Representatives Akamine Seiken on April 26 at a House National Security Committee meeting criticized the United States for applying a double standard to Japan in regard to investigations of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) around U.S. military facilities and urged the government to conduct a fact-finding survey on PFAS at U.S. bases in Okinawa.

The Okinawa prefectural government more than six years ago made public the fact that ground water sources near the U.S. Kadena base and U.S. Marine Corps Camp Hansen were contaminated with high level of toxic chemical PFAS. However, the U.S. side has refused to accept the prefectural government’s request for on-site investigations at these facilities on this matter.

Akamine pointed out that in contrast, in the U.S. mainland, the Department of Defense has conducted investigations on pollution of soils by PFAS at 700 military installations across the nation and published a progress report on each base. “This is a double standard with a capital D,” Akamine said.

Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo in reply said, “The ministry will discuss this with the U.S. side.”

Past related articles:
> JCP urges Okinawa defense bureau to stop US forces from discharging PFOS-tainted wastewater [August 28, 2021]
> Okinawa demands on-site probe over leakage of PFOS-containing fire foams from US Futenma base [April 14 & 15, 2020]
> Water around US bases in Okinawa contaminated with PFOS/PFOA [May 30, 2019]