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Protesters hold placards in front of a construction truck outside a U.S. Military construction site during a demonstration in 2019. Protesters demanded reduced U.S. military base burden in Okinawa as the prefecture marked 47 years since reversion to Japan this year. (Photo: Jinhee Lee/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Okinawa Residents Warned of Chlorine Gas Exposure After Fire Erupts at US Military Hazmat Facility
Locals have long protested U.S. military presence in Okinawa.
Jun 22, 2020
Residents of Okinawa learned Monday morning that they should seek treatment if they experience signs of chlorine gas or smoke exposure after a fire broke out inside a hazardous materials facility at the U.S, air base located on the Japanese island.
Emergency workers eventually put out the fire, which burned for several hours in the morning at the 18th Wing Hazardous Materials Pharmacy. The base was evacuated and 45 workers were treated for "mild symptoms" of exposure to smoke and gas, which can cause eye irritation, vision problems, a runny nose, throat irritation, and trouble breathing.
"Bioenvironmental personnel and emergency responders remain on the scene to monitor the situation and ensure there's no safety risk to the community," air base officials said in a press release.
\u201cKadena Air Base medical authorities encourage anyone nearby who experiences breathing or vision problems to seek treatment. https://t.co/ezFFg6W2xC\u201d— Stars and Stripes (@Stars and Stripes) 1592808666
More than 13,000 people live in the town of Kadena, which hosts the Kadena Air Base, the largest U.S. military base in Japan where more than half of the 50,000 U.S. troops in the country are stationed.
Residents of Okinawa have long protested the U.S. military presence there, demanding an end to environmental hazards and noise pollution at the base as well as crimes linked to U.S. personnel. In April, more than 140 tons of toxic fire-fighting foam leaked out of Marine Air Station Futenma, also located in Okinawa in the city of Ginowan.
Ginowan Mayor Masanori Matsukawa said at the time he would "demand the cause of the spill and discuss the environmental impact" at a meeting with base officials.
Last week, officials at Kadena Air Base criticized Okinawa media outlets for reporting on a U.S. soldier and an American civilian working at the base who are accused of robbing a nearby currency exchange store. Local journalists, the authorities claimed, had portrayed the U.S. military in a "negative light."
A prefectural spokesman did not defend the news outlets, but denied that Okinawa officials encouraged negative coverage of the alleged robbery. The Japanese government is supportive of U.S. military bases remaining in Okinawa under a bilateral security agreement.
In 2016, Okinawa residents held their largest anti-U.S. military protest in decades, with tens of thousands rallying after an American civilian contractor at Kadena Air Base was accused of raping and murdering a local woman.
"I hereby express my unflagging resolve to push for drastic review of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement and withdrawal of Marines [from Okinawa]," then-Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga, a vocal critic of the U.S., told protesters at the time.
Demonstrators at the historic protest carried signs reading, "Marines, Withdraw" and "Our anger has reached the limit."
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Residents of Okinawa learned Monday morning that they should seek treatment if they experience signs of chlorine gas or smoke exposure after a fire broke out inside a hazardous materials facility at the U.S, air base located on the Japanese island.
Emergency workers eventually put out the fire, which burned for several hours in the morning at the 18th Wing Hazardous Materials Pharmacy. The base was evacuated and 45 workers were treated for "mild symptoms" of exposure to smoke and gas, which can cause eye irritation, vision problems, a runny nose, throat irritation, and trouble breathing.
"Bioenvironmental personnel and emergency responders remain on the scene to monitor the situation and ensure there's no safety risk to the community," air base officials said in a press release.
\u201cKadena Air Base medical authorities encourage anyone nearby who experiences breathing or vision problems to seek treatment. https://t.co/ezFFg6W2xC\u201d— Stars and Stripes (@Stars and Stripes) 1592808666
More than 13,000 people live in the town of Kadena, which hosts the Kadena Air Base, the largest U.S. military base in Japan where more than half of the 50,000 U.S. troops in the country are stationed.
Residents of Okinawa have long protested the U.S. military presence there, demanding an end to environmental hazards and noise pollution at the base as well as crimes linked to U.S. personnel. In April, more than 140 tons of toxic fire-fighting foam leaked out of Marine Air Station Futenma, also located in Okinawa in the city of Ginowan.
Ginowan Mayor Masanori Matsukawa said at the time he would "demand the cause of the spill and discuss the environmental impact" at a meeting with base officials.
Last week, officials at Kadena Air Base criticized Okinawa media outlets for reporting on a U.S. soldier and an American civilian working at the base who are accused of robbing a nearby currency exchange store. Local journalists, the authorities claimed, had portrayed the U.S. military in a "negative light."
A prefectural spokesman did not defend the news outlets, but denied that Okinawa officials encouraged negative coverage of the alleged robbery. The Japanese government is supportive of U.S. military bases remaining in Okinawa under a bilateral security agreement.
In 2016, Okinawa residents held their largest anti-U.S. military protest in decades, with tens of thousands rallying after an American civilian contractor at Kadena Air Base was accused of raping and murdering a local woman.
"I hereby express my unflagging resolve to push for drastic review of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement and withdrawal of Marines [from Okinawa]," then-Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga, a vocal critic of the U.S., told protesters at the time.
Demonstrators at the historic protest carried signs reading, "Marines, Withdraw" and "Our anger has reached the limit."
From Your Site Articles
Residents of Okinawa learned Monday morning that they should seek treatment if they experience signs of chlorine gas or smoke exposure after a fire broke out inside a hazardous materials facility at the U.S, air base located on the Japanese island.
Emergency workers eventually put out the fire, which burned for several hours in the morning at the 18th Wing Hazardous Materials Pharmacy. The base was evacuated and 45 workers were treated for "mild symptoms" of exposure to smoke and gas, which can cause eye irritation, vision problems, a runny nose, throat irritation, and trouble breathing.
"Bioenvironmental personnel and emergency responders remain on the scene to monitor the situation and ensure there's no safety risk to the community," air base officials said in a press release.
\u201cKadena Air Base medical authorities encourage anyone nearby who experiences breathing or vision problems to seek treatment. https://t.co/ezFFg6W2xC\u201d— Stars and Stripes (@Stars and Stripes) 1592808666
More than 13,000 people live in the town of Kadena, which hosts the Kadena Air Base, the largest U.S. military base in Japan where more than half of the 50,000 U.S. troops in the country are stationed.
Residents of Okinawa have long protested the U.S. military presence there, demanding an end to environmental hazards and noise pollution at the base as well as crimes linked to U.S. personnel. In April, more than 140 tons of toxic fire-fighting foam leaked out of Marine Air Station Futenma, also located in Okinawa in the city of Ginowan.
Ginowan Mayor Masanori Matsukawa said at the time he would "demand the cause of the spill and discuss the environmental impact" at a meeting with base officials.
Last week, officials at Kadena Air Base criticized Okinawa media outlets for reporting on a U.S. soldier and an American civilian working at the base who are accused of robbing a nearby currency exchange store. Local journalists, the authorities claimed, had portrayed the U.S. military in a "negative light."
A prefectural spokesman did not defend the news outlets, but denied that Okinawa officials encouraged negative coverage of the alleged robbery. The Japanese government is supportive of U.S. military bases remaining in Okinawa under a bilateral security agreement.
In 2016, Okinawa residents held their largest anti-U.S. military protest in decades, with tens of thousands rallying after an American civilian contractor at Kadena Air Base was accused of raping and murdering a local woman.
"I hereby express my unflagging resolve to push for drastic review of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement and withdrawal of Marines [from Okinawa]," then-Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga, a vocal critic of the U.S., told protesters at the time.
Demonstrators at the historic protest carried signs reading, "Marines, Withdraw" and "Our anger has reached the limit."
From Your Site Articles
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
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Hope people understand the trajectory that we’re on: if the executive is arguing that it has no recourse once people here end up in a prison in El Salvador, then that’s the precedent for there being no recourse when this starts happening to United States citizens.
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— Alexander Ross (@alexander-ross.bsky.social) April 4, 2025 at 7:03 PM
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