2018年12月17日月曜日

Constructing New US Military Base as a Health Threat to Okinawan People


Dr Tokuda (left) and Dr Barnett (right)

Constructing New US Military Base as a Health Threat to Okinawan People

Yasuharu Tokuda, MD, MPH; Peter B. Barnett, MD, MPH

Abstract

Okinawa, a group of small islands between Japan and Taiwan, has been the site of wars conducted by foreign armies for hundreds of years. Since World War II Okinawa has been the focus of the American military presence in Japan. The people of Okinawa experience a number of adverse health and environmental effects from the US military bases. These health and environmental effects include aircraft noise, asbestos exposure, and pollution of sea, land and air along with disrupted biodiversity. Other adverse health consequences have been identified as severe hearing loss, sleep disturbance, poor quality of life, and increased cancer risk in local Okinawan people, and impaired learning among Okinawan school children. Recently the central government of Japan approved construction work on a new US military base despite strong opposition by local Okinawan people. Healthcare professionals are in a position to better assess and understand the seriousness of the adverse health and environmental effects of the proposed and existing military bases. However, no medical professional societies in Japan or the US have provided comments about this issue. Healthcare professionals have a responsibility to educate citizens and politicians concerning the adverse health and environmental effects of military bases, and to advocate for a more peaceful world.

Text

In 2015, in order to strengthen the US and Japan defense alliance, and as a replacement of the Futenma airbase located on the main Okinawa island, “the most dangerous base in the world”(1), the Japanese central government approved construction work on a new US airbase in the Henoko bay area of Okinawa island. No other Japanese prefectures have accepted new US military base since they have concerns about the increased risk of adverse health effects of a military base, as well as the increased crime rate in communities where bases are located. Nonetheless, the US government wants to expand its bases in Okinawa and the central Japanese government is willing to supply more land in Okinawa. Local Okinawan people strongly oppose the construction of a new US base and the governor of Okinawa has declared that the central government's decision "tramples on the will of the Okinawan people."(2) There are two major reasons by Okinawan people for opposing the new US military base: further adverse environmental and health effects on Okinawa and Okinawan people and the longstanding antiwar philosophy in Okinawa.

The people of Okinawa have already experienced a number of adverse health and environmental effects from existing military bases. Aircraft noise has long been a huge public health problem in Okinawa. Local residents living near military bases have developed severe hearing loss, sleep disturbance, impaired learning among school children, and poor quality of life.(3) Use of asbestos in the US military buildings has led to numerous cases of lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma among local workers.(4)

Military bases have caused serious air pollution, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, and sulfur dioxide. Further, the island’s sea, land and air have been contaminated by the high concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), including Agent Orange dioxin (retrograde shipments from postwar Vietnam) and dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane (DDT), arsenic, depleted uranium, and nerve gas that have been leaked from US military storage.(5-7) It is expected that there will be ongoing environmental damage and adverse health effects produced by a new military base, as well as the other already existing military bases. Other dangers include aircraft accidents and damage to the fragile agricultural and fishing environments upon which the Okinawan people depend.

Fortunately, several American communities have taken the initiative of supporting the Okinawan position. On December 21, 2015, the city council of Cambridge, Massachusetts, passed a resolution opposing the construction of the new base in Henoko, following the resolution by the Berkeley, California city council in September, 2015 which opposed the new base and pledged solidarity with Okinawa.(8) The city council of Honolulu, Hawaii also proposed a resolution opposing the base construction in January 2016. These thoughtful councils of the US communities believe that it is their responsibility to support Okinawan people because the construction is mandated by Japanese government in defiance of local opinion, and the construction is likely to cause further ill-effects to local people.

Another reason for opposing the new Henoko base is the prevalent antiwar philosophy among the Okinawan people. Many years ago Okinawa was an independent chain of islands, and has been the object of centuries of foreign military occupation, by China, Japan, and the US. Okinawa was the site of harsh battles between US and Japan near the end of World War II (WWII) which killed almost 100,000 Okinawan civilians. Since WWII, the central government of Japan continues to force Okinawa to host 75% (more than 30 bases) of all U.S. military installations in Japan, occupying 20% of the main island of Okinawa.

Healthcare professionals are in the position to accurately assess and communicate the seriousness of the adverse health and environmental effects of constructing yet another military base in Okinawa. However, no medical societies in Japan or the US have so far provided comment about this issue. Healthcare professionals of Japan and US have the social and medical responsibility to educate the citizens and politicians of both governments to protect the Okinawan people from the ill effects of military bases, and to advocate for promoting a more peaceful and just world.

This article has been published in the Journal Environmental Justice at:


References

1.           The Guam daily post: The two most dangerous bases in the world. 2015/11/4 [accessed on 2016/1/6].
2.           NBC News World: Okinawa Relocation of U.S. Military Base Triggers Protests 2015/10/29 [accessed on 2015/12/25]. Available from: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/okinawa-relocation-u-s-military-base-triggers-protests-n453486
3.           Department of Culture and Environmental Affairs of Okinawa Prefectural Government: A Report on the Aircraft Noise as Public Health Problem in Okinawa 1999 [accessed on 2015/12/25]. Available from: http://www.pref.okinawa.jp/site/kankyo/hozen/taiki/noise/aircraft_as_health.html
4.           The Japan Times: Japanese coinfirmed with asbestos injuries from working at U.S. bases 2014/1/8 [accessed on 2015/12/25]. Available from: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/01/08/national/28-japanese-confirmed-with-asbestos-injuries-from-working-at-u-s-bases/#.VnyG7fmLSM8
5.           The Japan Update: Urasoe habu have high concentrations of PCB and DDT 2015/9/8 [accessed on 2015/12/25]. Available from: http://www.japanupdate.com/2015/09/urasoe-habu-have-high-concentrations-of-pcb-and-ddt/
6.           Mitchell J. FOIA Documents Reveal Agent Orange Dioxin, Toxic Dumps, Fish Kills on Okinawa Base. Two Veterans Win Compensation, Many More Denied. The Asia-Pacific Journal. 2015;13 (39).
7.           The Japan Times: Okinawa: the junk heap of the Pacific 2013/11/11 [accessed on 2015/12/25]. Available from: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2013/11/11/issues/okinawa-the-junk-heap-of-the-pacific/#.VnyTsPmLSM8
8.           Peace & Planet: Cambridge City Council Debating Resolution of Solidarity for Okinawa 2015/12/11 [accessed on 2016/01/07]. Available from: http://www.peaceandplanet.org/cambridge-city-council-debating-resolution-of-solidarity-for-okinawa/

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