Denny in the News: 28 August 2021

 With still more left in storage, US Military dumps 64,000 liters of its PFOS sewage、ignoring the Prefecture’s protests.

We now know that on 27 August the Marine Command in Okinawa dumped the planned total of about 64,000 liters of processed sewage, containing chemicals like organic compounds of PFOS,  from the US Futenma Airfield, releasing it problematically into the sewer system. This newspaper confirmed the dumping. The Japanese Government, the Prefecture, and the city of Ginowan pleaded for a halt to the dumping, but the Marines did not respond. 

Because the Marines ignored the Prefecture’s protests, in a so-called “exchange of opinions,” Vice-Governor Kiichiro Jahana outlined the Prefecture’s stance with a de facto protest. According to the Defense Ministry, there is still sewage containing chemicals such as PFOS stored at Futenma Airfield. The Marines are unclear about how much remains.

Vice-Governor Jahana visited US Military Camp Zukeran for a discussion with Colonel Neil Owens, chief of the US Marine foreign relations administration section in Okinawa. According to Jahana, Owens claimed the dumping was in line with Japan’s sewage cleanup provisional targeted guideline values as well as “JEGS (Japan Environmental Guideline Standards), and it was carried out properly. So, any protest is unacceptable.” He offered no apology acknowledging the dumping occurred. As to how the Japanese and American governments would settle the issue and the dumping while discussions were underway, Jahana said Owens explained it was a judgement for not only the US Military in Okinawa, but also the US Military in and outside of Japan. 

Jahana expressed his strong anger, “Cutting us off like that was totally unforgivable. Even apart from such treatment, the dumping is an affront to the feelings of the Prefecture’s people that can never be forgiven.” As for the still remaining sewage, at the beginning of next week, the Prefecture  plans to request disposal by incineration.

At a press conference on the same day, Governor Denny Tamaki expressed his outrage, “The dumping is extremely regrettable, and even our pushing them not to do it was ineffective.”

On the evening of 26 August, the Marines informed the city of Ginowan that the sewage dumping had been completed. 


Original Japanese article: Okinawa Times, published Saturday 28 August at 07:36

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/a43a69fa16de065ec6d3f356e600a648f5df00ba


Translator’s Notes

  1. Denny in the News: news about Okinawan Governor Denny Tamaki.

Denny Tamaki is the governor of Okinawa Prefecture in Japan. Although Okinawa is important as an international tourist destination and a key element in strategic US Military Forces, its governor receives very little coverage in the Japanese press and almost none in the English language media. 


  1. This blog hopes to  translate one news article a day on the governor.  It is unsponsored and unauthorized. The translator simply hopes to improve his skills and perhaps give the governor an English speaking audience. Any suggestion on improving the translation will be gratefully accepted. However, please leave political comments for another forum.

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