Migration
Japanese worker dies in construction accident at Kadena Air Base
Stars and Stripes
January 15, 2019
A Japanese worker was killed in an accident at a construction site at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. (Carlos M. Vazquez II/Stars and Stripes)
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — A Japanese worker was killed in a collision near a construction site Tuesday morning at Kadena Air Base on Okinawa, Japanese police said.
The unnamed man in his 40s was crushed between two pieces of Caterpillar heavy equipment at approximately 8:50 a.m, said Okinawa Police deputy chief Eiji Hirata.
The incident occurred “near the old Kadena Elementary School construction site,” 18th Wing officials said in a Tuesday statement. They confirmed in an email Wednesday that the accident happened where the old school building is being demolished.
Okinawa Police are investigating the incident, Hirata said.
Kadena — the largest and most active Air Force base in the Far East — is home to the 18th Wing and the 353rd Special Operations Group.