To use this site, please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page.
This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content, and analyzing our website traffic. By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies.
Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Yomiuri Shimbun file photo Yokosuka Mayor Katsuaki Kamiji speaks at the Yokosuka city office in January 2021.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
20:00 JST, October 7, 2022
YOKOSUKA, Kanagawa — Yokosuka Mayor Katsuaki Kamiji has asked the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Japan to conduct an immediate investigation following the detection of a harmful substance at a level exceeding the limit imposed by the Japanese government in wastewater from a treatment plant at the U.S. Navy’s Yokosuka base in Kanagawa Prefecture.
Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), a toxic substance that is harmful to humans, was detected at the wastewater plant.
Less than 50 nanograms of PFOS per liter of wastewater is permitted under Japanese standards. Levels exceeding 100 times that amount were detected at the base’s wastewater treatment plant, according to a recent analysis conducted by the U.S. side.
During a visit to the base on Thursday, Kamiji told Rear Adm. Carl Lahti the incident had severely damaged the relationship of trust, and he urged the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Japan to identify the cause and implement preventive measures.
The mayor also asked for the discharge of wastewater to be suspended until filters that can absorb the compound are installed at the facility.
Lahti apologized for causing anxiety among local residents but claimed it would be impossible to stop discharging wastewater because base residents would have to be relocated. He said filters would be installed as soon as possible and asked for public understanding.
