National Apr 9, 2016
Contamination: Kadena Air Base's dirty secret
by Jon Mitchell
For the first time, documents released under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act reveal extensive pollution on an active American base in Japan.
National Feb 9, 2016
Documents indicate chemical leaks at U.S. base have polluted Okinawa water supply
by Jon Mitchell
U.S. documents released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that lax safety standards at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa may be to blame for the recent contamination of local drinking water sources.
National Jul 11, 2014
Agent Orange ingredients found at Okinawa military dumpsite
by Jon Mitchell
Rusting barrels unearthed on former U.S. military land in the city of Okinawa are confirmed as containing chemical precursors to the toxic defoliant Agent Orange.
Travel Apr 19, 2014
by Stephen Mansfield
My first glimpse of Koza was a burned out car on a monochrome print I picked up at a recycle shop in Naha. I would see the image again when I visited the history section of the Okinawa City Hall, where there was a ...
Issues | THE FOREIGN ELEMENT Mar 17, 2014
U.S. military report suggests cover-up over toxic pollution in Okinawa
by Jon Mitchell
Perhaps the most serious concern raised in the internal U.S. military report is the fear that PCB contamination at Kadena — if made public — would prompt demands for widespread tests on other U.S. bases.
Issues | THE FOREIGN ELEMENT Mar 17, 2014
Ailing U.S. veteran wins payout over Agent Orange exposure in Okinawa
by Jon Mitchell
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has granted compensation to another former service member for exposure to Agent Orange while stationed in Okinawa during the Vietnam War era, despite U.S. denials that the defoliant was ever present there.
National Feb 1, 2014
Fears widen over Kadena toxins
by Jon Mitchell
Just days after the commander of U.S. Kadena Air Base, near the city of Okinawa, promised parents their children's schools were safe from dioxin contamination, a further 50 chemical barrels have been unearthed from adjacent land and a retired U.S. Air Force major has ...
National Jan 21, 2014
by Jon Mitchell
Six months ago, dangerous levels of dioxin were discovered near two U.S. Department of Defense schools on Okinawa Island — but only now are many service members based there learning the full extent of the contamination.
Voices | HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO Dec 23, 2013
What are officials doing to ensure children are not exposed to potential contamination at Bob Hope Primary School and Amelia Earhart Intermediate School in Okinawa City? Demand school officials close the playground until the soil can be tested and remediation undertaken if necessary.
Voices | HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO Aug 26, 2013
Denials of defoliant at former U.S. base site in Okinawa fly in the face of science
The inescapable fact is that the U.S. military, on Kadena Air Base, disposed of materials in drums containing 2,4,5-T , a wartime defoliant, and TCDD, the most toxic component of the dioxin family, known to be associated with the manufacture of such herbicides.