Japan Press Weekly

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2013 June 19 - 25 [US FORCES]

Buried drums point to Agent Orange having been stored at US base in Okinawa

Empty drum cans which were abandoned by the U.S. Forces and which most likely contained Agent Orange have been found in Okinawa City.

The U.S. Department of Defense has claimed that the highly toxic material has never been stored in Okinawa. However, the unearthed drums may disprove the claim.

More than ten drums were buried at the construction site for a soccer field which used to be a part of the U.S. Kadena Air Base until 1987 in Okinawa City, Okinawa Prefecture. On the drums it is written, “The Dow Chemical Company”, the U.S. major producer of the Agent Orange defoliant used by the U.S. military in the Vietnam war.

On June 22, Japanese Communist Party Lower House member Akamine Seiken and four other Dietmembers representing Okinawa visited the site to conduct an inspection.

The drums smelled like fuel oil. This corresponds with the fact that Agent Orange was mixed with diesel fuel during the Vietnam War. The city is examining the soil at the site and trying to find out exactly what was in the drums.

After the inspection, Akamine said to the press that the U.S. should be held accountable for covering up the bringing of the chemical into Japan. “This case needs to be thoroughly investigated by objective experts in a transparent manner independent from the Defense Ministry, and the U.S. should open the documents concerning base usage,” Akamine stressed.