by Jon Mitchell – In 2011, The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus published the first…
Jon Mitchell

Jon Mitchell
British journalist Jon Mitchell has been investigating contamination on U.S. military bases in Japan since 2010. This research won him the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan Freedom of the Press Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2015. He is the author of the Japanese language book, Tsuiseki: Okinawa no Karehazai (Chasing Agent Orange on Okinawa) and a visiting researcher at the International Peace Research Institute of Meiji Gakuin University, Tokyo. Mitchell is a correspondent at Okinawa Times. Mr. Mitchell serves on the Civilian Exposure Advisory Board and is also a contributor for our Civilian Exposure Okinawa military contamination coverage.
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Okinawa
Operation Red Hat: Chemical Weapons and the Pentagon Smokescreen on Okinawa
by Jon Mitchellby Jon Mitchellby Jon Mitchell – In July 1969, a leak of chemical weapons on Okinawa…
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Okinawa
US Military Returns Land to Japan, but Okinawa Isn’t Celebrating
by Jon Mitchellby Jon MitchellThe ongoing conflict between the military and local community environments continues at home and abroad. Will military development in these areas help or hurt the community? Could potential toxins and chemicals infiltrate the surrounding groundwater and soil as is the case with other areas in Okinawa? The following article takes a closer look at the unsteady military/public lands relationship in Okinawa.
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Okinawa
Environmental Contamination at US Marine Corps Bases on Okinawa
by Jon Mitchellby Jon MitchellSince 2002, at least 270 environmental accidents on U.S. Marine Corps bases on Okinawa have contaminated land and local waterways but, until now, almost none of these incidents has been made public. U.S. Marine internal reports highlight serious flaws in training and suggest that the lessons of past accidents have not been effectively implemented. Moreover, recent USMC guidelines order service members not to inform Japanese authorities of accidents deemed “politically sensitive”, raising concerns that many incidents may have gone unreported.