U.S. Force Admits PFAS in Its Bases

The government of Japan revealed that the United States Force in Japan (USFJ) had admitted in December 2023 that poisonous Per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) detected in Okinawa was originated in U.S. Force’s bases in Okinawa. The Ministry of Defense (MOD) did not disclose this admission of the USFJ at the time. It is likely that the government of Japan has been dismissing the argument of Okinawan government that the detected PFAS was caused by foam concentrate used for drills of extinction. 

PFAS is a general term of over ten thousand chemical substances, some of which are harmful for human health or inhabitancy of animals and plants. PFAS includes perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) or perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) which are designated as persistent organic pollutants in Stockholm Convention in 2004. The member countries of the convention are obliged to take measures to restrict production or import of those materials.

 

The prefectural government of Okinawa detected PFAS in the river around Kadena U.S. Air Base in its report of 2016. In 2020, U.S. Futenma Air Base, which is designated to move to a new base built in Henoko, had an accident of leaking a large amount of foam concentrate outside of the site. Okinawan government found that PFAS was detected in everywhere in Okinawa in 2024.

 

Okinawan government requested the USFJ to accept inspection in the base about the leakage of PFAS for four times since 2016. But Ministry of Defense (MOD) of Japan explained in 2025 that the USFJ rejected the inspection, because there was no criterion to appropriately evaluate the result of samplings and no data that would indicate scientific evidence to indicate leakage of PFAS from the bases.

 

However, the USFJ had admitted that the contamination with PFAS was possibly caused by military exercises for extinction in the bases of Kadena and Futenma in the meeting with Japan in December 2023. If the USFJ had rejected inspection of Okinawan government with a reason that there was no evidence of leakage of PFAS, the confession of the USFJ indicates that it had acknowledged its responsibility of the leakage. The explanation of the MOD contradicts itself.

 

It was true that the USFJ rejected the inspection in 2023. Supposedly, the rejection was because of Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) which strictly regulates entrance of Japanese law enforcement into U.S. military facilities. The SOFA has been a great barrier for Japanese police to investigate criminal cases by U.S. military personnel, including rape or murder on the people in Okinawa.

 

The false explanation of the MOD shows its standpoint that supports more for U.S. Forces than for health of the people in Okinawa. Chemical Substances Regulation Act mandates Japanese government to examine new chemical material of its characteristics and regulate production, import and usage of that substance. It will not be strange, if the issue causes discussion for revision of the SOFA.

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