The analyzes carried out on the wastewater revealed levels of carcinogenic chemical substances 172 times higher than the permitted limit. In the alliance between Tokyo and Washington, military bases continue to be a source of friction: the population, especially that of Okinawa, does not welcome the presence of these facilities. In September, a student tried to attack the US embassy with an explosive.
Tokyo () – Located at the southern end of Tokyo Bay, Yokosuka is one of many cities that have developed around the Japanese capital. It was here that, in 1853, the American naval expedition led by Matthew Perry first landed in the Japan of the Shoguns, forcing the country to open its doors to Western influence. A century and a half later, the United States is still present in the city with a naval base that, since 1945, is an emblem of the flaws in the alliance between the United States and Japan.
Last week was published analysis of wastewater produced by the military base and the results are alarming. PFOS (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid) and PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid), two potentially carcinogenic chemicals, were found in samples collected in August. But the most worrying figure was the total amount detected: 8,592 nanograms per liter. This figure is about 172 times higher than the limit set by the Japanese government of 50 nanograms per liter.
The discharge of dangerous substances for the human being it’s not a novelty: This summer, high levels of PFOS and PFOA were already detected in the waters adjacent to the Yokosuka base. Judging by these measurements, the problem has worsened in a few months.
Alerted by the authorities, the mayor of Yokosuka, Katsuaki Kamiji, requested the intervention of the Japanese government and the opening of an investigation. “I can only feel outrage, I have lost confidence in the US military,” he told the Mainichi Shimbun. For now, the base plans to apply a filter to its wastewater before November 1 to absorb the two chemicals, but Kamiji demands that action be taken more quickly.
The alliance with the United States is also problematic for Tokyo in some cases. The crux at issue is the coexistence of the US military presence with the local population. Between 2019 and 2021, Okinawa Prefecture – whose tensions with the US military are well known – found up to 20 toxic chemicals in the groundwater surrounding US military bases. The items found are prohibited by Japanese law: they cannot be used, produced or imported. In addition, in June, 1,280 citizens living in and around Yokota Air Base filed a lawsuit against noise pollution produced by the US Air Force Osprey aircraft. And the list goes on.
The intolerance of a part of the population towards the presence of Washington’s armed forces sometimes takes on violent overtones. In September, an Osaka university student was arrested by the police for trying to detonate a homemade explosive device near the US embassy in Tokyo. In his statement to the agents, the young man said that he wanted to throw an explosive device against the diplomatic headquarters.
