Recently, approximately 48,000 liters of water contaminated with PFAS synthetic chemicals spilled from a firefighting training area at the U.S. Yokota Air Base in western Japan during heavy rainfall in August, as reported by the Asahi Shimbun. Tokyo officials were notified by the U.S. military through the Japanese Defense Ministry on October 3.
A council of officials from the metropolitan government and affected municipalities expressed deep regret over the delayed reporting of the incident to Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani on October 4. They also called on the Japanese government to investigate and analyze the potential impact of the leak on groundwater and other environmental resources.
PFAS, a group of artificial chemicals including PFOS and PFOA, has been found in high concentrations near military bases and industrial areas in Japan. Concerns have been raised following reports of PFAS detection in water bodies and abnormal blood test results of residents in various regions across Japan.
(With input from agencies)