Anger in Japan as US army bases report mounting Covid-19 outbreak
An escalating Covid-19 outbreak at American bases in Okinawa has seen 136 US military personnel and dependents infected so far, with the governor of the southern Japanese island complaining that United States officials have refused to provide details of infections among service members.
Local residents said they were "sad and angry" that there were so many cases of the virus in a prefecture that had reported just a single new case in the past month.
Thirty-six new cases were reported at the Marine Corps' Camp Hansen on Wednesday, bringing the total number of cases on the base to 58. There are 71 cases linked to Marine Corps Air Station Futenma and another five at Kadena Air Base, while single cases have been reported at Camp McTureous and Camp Kinser.
While Futenma and Hansen are under lockdown orders, the concern is that personnel from the bases celebrated US Independence Day at bars and restaurants on the weekend of July 4, bringing them into contact with local residents. Health authorities are attempting to trace people who may have interacted with US personnel in recent days, and are calling on residents to come forward for testing.
Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki has expressed his disappointment at the failure of US military efforts to contain the outbreak. He flew to Tokyo on Wednesday and had meetings at the US embassy and with representatives of the Japanese government to discuss his concerns, including the US army citing confidentiality and a risk of terrorist attacks to avoid information.
Okinawa governor Denny Tamaki says local people have been shocked at the outbreaks on US bases. Photo: Kyodo
"It is extremely regrettable that a large number of US military personnel were infected in a short period of time," he said, adding that local people have been "shocked" after their efforts to prevent a major outbreak in Okinawa. To date, there have been 148 civilian cases in the prefecture of almost 1.5 million people.
"In addition, there is no doubt that there is a strong suspicion about US infection control measures so far," said Tamaki, who was elected on a platform of dramatically reducing the 26,000 US military personnel in the prefecture and returning land to local residents that has been occupied by US bases since Japan's defeat in World War II.
An official of the prefectural government that handles base issues said the governor held talks with the Japanese Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and made two primary demands.
"He requested that the US suspend the movement of all forces from the mainland US into Okinawa and he wants a comprehensive review of the Status of Forces Agreement [SOFA] between the two nations, but particularly the section that relates to the application of Japanese quarantine laws," the official said.
The question of quarantine regulations for US troops and their family members is a particularly contentious one, with local media reporting that Tokyo has little control over the US nationals who fly into Japan, even if they are arriving at commercial airports. The SOFA permits service personnel to sidestep testing that is presently mandatory for all other arrivals from overseas.
A spokesman for the US Marine Corps in Okinawa said all new arrivals from the mainland US, regardless of rank, were presently required to undergo a two-week quarantine period, although he admitted that "sometimes the symptoms are not there even after that time".
The official, who declined to be named, said there would be "no impact" on the Marines' ability to carry out their duties.
There are 71 cases linked to Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa. Photo: Kyodo
Japan's Defence Minister Taro Kono on Wednesday said the US military needed to take "concrete measures" so the infections on bases would not spread to the community, and expressed worries that the US military readiness could be affected.
"We are extremely concerned about the impact of the spread of the coronavirus infections on American troops' rapid response capability," he said.
Stephen Nagy, senior associate professor of international relations at Tokyo's International Christian University, said it was unlikely the illness would impact the Marines' credo of being ready to "fight tonight", although the surge in cases will have alarmed Washington's allies.
"It will have more of an effect on how they are perceived among the friends and partners of the US," he said. "That they have not been able to contain this outbreak is going to sully their reputation " and that will become more acute if it does turn out that it impacts their ability to deploy."
Masafumi Chinen, whose father Chuuji fought a long-running lawsuit against nearby Futenma Air Station, said he was sad and angry at the failure of the US authorities to contain the outbreak and the troops' refusal to use their common sense over the July 4 weekend.
"We saw them on the beaches and going out to party, they were singing loudly and getting together in big groups to celebrate," he said.
Chinen's father and other local residents had demanded that military flights out of the base be halted between 7pm and 7am so people living nearby could sleep without being interrupted by night flight operations. The suit, initially filed with 403 other plaintiffs in 2002, was recently rejected by the court.
"People are worried," Chinen added. "There have not been so many cases here in Okinawa and we have tried really hard to follow the government's recommendations on social distancing, wearing a mask and so on, but the US has now brought this disease onto our soil and we see the soldiers singing and partying on the beach like nothing is different.
"I can't explain how angry it makes me."
Additional reporting by Associated Press and Kyodo
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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