Okinawa
officials want SOFA change
to deal with environmental problems
By
Chiyomi Sumida
Okinawa bureau
GINOWAN — Okinawa officials want a change in the Status
of Forces Agreement between the United States and Japan that
would make the States more responsible for environmental damage
caused by military bases.
In his keynote address to an environmental conference on Okinawa
last week, Gov. Keiichi Inamine said there are no provisions
in the SOFA that require the United States to ensure aircraft
noise, soil erosion and oil spills on U.S. bases on Okinawa
do not threaten the environment.
His remarks were made during a symposium on the environment
attended by about 300 people at the Ginowan Convention Center.
The conference featured a panel discussion by prefectural
and municipal government officials, and environmental activists
from the United States and Germany.
"Noise
constantly emitting from Kadena Air Base and Futenma Air Station,
the overflow of red clay to the ocean from mountains where
live artillery firing took place, oil spillages on Camp Foster,
all threaten human health and the natural environment,"
Inamine said.
"To
solve these problems, the provisions in the SOFA must be drastically
changed."
Base pollution is an ongoing issue, said Kadena Mayor Tokujitsu
Miyagi.
"The
incessant noise from Kadena Air Base threatens both the physical
and mental health of residents," Miyagi said. "Yet,
not one line in the agreement mentions anything about cleaning
the environment."
Kazuhisa Ogawa, director of the Crisis Management Institute
in Tokyo and an adviser for the Okinawa Development Agency,
said the fault is partly Japan's reluctance to take on an
active role in the partnership.
For example, although residents of a neighborhood adjacent
to Atsugi Naval Air Facility near Tokyo had long complained
of pollution from an incinerator operated by the Enviro-Tech
firm, the government took no action against the company until
the United States brought up the issue, Ogawa said.
"The
government should make a continued effort to change the SOFA
provisions to maintain a fair and balanced relation with the
United States," he said.
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