Japan Speaking Tour #9 - Sasebo
By Pat Elder
October 1, 2024
August 21, 2024 - Our Japanese colleagues in Sasebo, Japan demand accountability from the U.S. Navy
After leaving the mind-blowing and lingering realities of Nagasaki, we drove an hour and a half to Sasebo, Japan, the home of U.S. Fleet Activities, Japan. The sprawling complex is on Sasebo Bay within easy access to the East China Sea. The U.S. Navy considers it one of the most strategically important regions of Japan. Many warships call this port home.
History of the Base
In September 1945 US Marines landed at Sasebo, and in June 1946, U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo was established. When US aggression in Korea led to war three years later, Sasebo became the main launching point for U.S. Forces. It could have all been avoided. Sasebo played a major role during the Vietnam War while many in Sasebo opposed the American presence.
A student throws an object at the police in the main
street of Sasebo, Japan, on January 30, 1968.
Historians tend to forget to tell the story of the Japanese left and the student protests during the late 60’s and early 70’s that were among the largest and most influential anywhere in the world. The idea of US warships carrying nuclear weapons stoked the flames of widespread indignation. Those flames are still simmering, although Japan is rapidly militarizing and has embraced the use of nuclear weapons, despite its “no war” constitution.
U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo played a vital logistics role in Operation Desert Shield/Storm during 1990–91, by serving as a supply point for ordnance and fuel for ships and Marines operating in the Persian Gulf theater. President Obama greatly expanded operations at Sasebo that continue to today.
Meeting with Sasebo officials
Rather than walking into a lecture hall with a hundred people, Rachel, Ken’Ichi, and I sat down with three officials from the city of Sasebo: an official from the city’s waste water treatment facility, a prefectural assemblywoman from Sasebo, and an editorial board member of an influential publication. We had a fruitful exchange of information. They asked a hundred questions, and we tried to answer them. If we couldn’t answer them, we pointed them in the right direction. Generally, the Japanese suffer from an acute shortage of information pertaining to PFAS. We received confirmation of our theoretical truths.
We gained a deeper appreciation for the obfuscation and lack of transparency practiced by the U.S. naval command. The locals were under the impression that they were unfairly denied access to bases and data while they were surprised to learn that Americans at home suffer the same treatment. We are all subjects of the same authority. Call this supra-national authority what you will.
Our colleagues were not able gain access to test streams or the areas where surface water or waste water runs into the bay. Imagine a massive complex that is virtually sealed off by miles of heavily fortified and closely guarded barbed wire fence. The naval port is also off limits to private boats, especially those seeking access to things like 12-inch PVC pipes that empty carcinogens into the sea. We have been able to gain access to the outside perimeter of navy bases throughout the US and in other locations in Japan and we have reported high levels of the deadly toxins draining into streams. The chemicals poison all aquatic life. We don’t know how bad it is in Sasebo.
We shared our mutual concerns regarding the presence of other pollutants that threaten human health and the fragile earth. Although PFAS tends to take a lot of the oxygen out of the contamination room, other chemicals used by the Navy exact their toll. Chemicals like vinyl chloride, benzene, toluene, trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, along with deadly herbicides and pesticides are also killing us.
Our friends described the location of a suspected fire training area and a chrome plating facility where copious amounts of the chemicals have likely been used for 50 years. Meanwhile, Navy ships continue to use PFAS-based fire-fighting foams. The suppression systems are known to frequently malfunction. They told us they didn’t know where the sludge from the treatment plant on base was being spread or whether it was being burned. They pointed out the existence of an incinerator smokestack on the base that routinely belches out acrid smoke and fumes, but they had no information on the temperatures used in the incineration process. Often, the navy will burn commodities and used foams that contain PFAS. The incinerators don’t get hot enough to actually break down the chemicals. The same problem also plagues municipal “waste to energy” incineration facilities worldwide. The PFAS becomes airborne, settling in our lungs and as dust in our homes.
The U.S. Navy doesn’t care about these things, although they repeat the refrain that they are “stewards of the environment.” They are on a mission while the footprint of the U.S. military presence here is continuing to expand.