Okinawa

The following video features a press conference and conversation with Jon Mitchell about the extent of military contamination in Japan and tools used to uncover and shed light on the story. Jon Mitchell is a Special Correspondent for Okinawa Times and an Award Winner of FCCJ’s Freedom of the Press Lifetime Achievement Award. He is also chief contributor to our Okinawa section and esteemed member of the Civilian Exposure Journalist Advisory Board.

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

by Jon Mitchell – In July 1969, a leak of chemical weapons on Okinawa…

The 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.

Since 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.

We always appreciate the feedback of our visitors and subscribers to Civilian Exposure. There’s so much out there involving potential chemical contamination at military installations that we benefit by hearing from you directly about locations we’ve yet to cover. Such is the case with Okinawa and the potential for Agent Orange exposure.

A new base has popped up on the radar lately for various contamination issues – Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. According to recent reports, the base covered up information about extensive contamination and over a half dozen surrounding communities may be impacted as a result. According to a recent article from Global Research: