Dioxins Detected: Investigation and Disclosure of the Facts Is Necessary

At the site of a former U.S. military base in Okinawa, traces of highly toxic dioxins were detected on chemical barrels found underground beneath a soccer field.

Several of the barrels were marked as property of Dow Chemical, a U.S. chemical manufacturer that produced defoliants containing highly poisonous dioxins during the Vietnam War. Because of this, concern that the barrels might have contained defoliants is spreading.

After testing accretions collected from the barrels and the surrounding soil, the Okinawa Defense Bureau reported on July 24 that the components characteristic of defoliant production were not present, and stated, “At the present time we cannot conclude that the contents of the barrels were defoliants.”

This report from the Defense Bureau is only an intermediate step. Of course it is necessary to be thorough in examining the quality of the surrounding soil and water, and we need to investigate how the dioxins were detected. It is also essential to have the U.S. military publicly disclose how the land where the barrels were found was used when it was under U.S. jurisdiction.

There were a total of 26 barrels found under the soccer field; a number of them bore the name of the U.S. chemical manufacturer.

Dioxins are extremely toxic substances which have been known to cause birth defects and cancer. They are resistant to natural decomposition, they remain in the soil for a long time and they are known to accumulate in the human body.

The anxiety of the local residents and government over the effects this will have on people and the environment cannot be dispelled while the absence of defoliants remains entirely unverified. Japan should be fully aware of this.

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The pollution problems on former base sites are too numerous to mention. Each time a site is returned to local authorities, they are forced to postpone plans to use the land because of these issues.

On the Onna communication site, which was returned to the village of Onna in 1995, toxic substances such as polychorinated biphenyl (PCB) were detected in sewage treatment tanks. In the northern part of Camp Kuwae, which was returned to the town of Chatan in 2003, the soil was found to be contaminated with oil, lead, arsenic and hexavalent chromium in levels that drastically exceed environmental standards.

According to the U.S.-Japan Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), the U.S. armed forces has no obligation to restore land to its original state or compensate for damages. Additionally, the Law on Special Measures for Land Expropriation for U.S. Forces in Japan, which was revised in March of last year, stipulates that dealing with the returned land is Japan’s responsibility. However, the repercussions of the U.S. military’s carelessness must not continue to fall on the shoulders of the local citizens.

It is necessary to have a thorough preliminary survey before a site is returned to Japan in order to obligate the U.S. armed forces to provide records of their use of the land.

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Suspicions concerning defoliants are rising because there is no way of knowing what is currently being stored inside the U.S. base.

The defoliant containing highly toxic dioxins that was used in large amounts during the Vietnam War resulted in many tragedies. It still casts its shadow on the world today.

The allegations that large amounts of the defoliant were stored in Okinawa before it rejoined Japan also have not yet been resolved. The U.S. government continues to deny the presence of defoliants in Okinawa, but there are testimonies from retired military personnel that confirm it.

Without a thorough investigation of the facts and public disclosure of information, there is no way that the misgivings and unease of the citizens of Okinawa can be resolved.