This archive report was first published on 13 July 2020.
A 2014 photo shows a US Marine refuelling tanker taking off at the Futenma air base, one of several US military bases on Japan's Okinawa island.
July 13, 2020 - The Japanese island of Okinawa has been at the center of a long-standing controversy over the presence of US military bases. The situation has taken a turn for the worse with the recent spike in COVID-19 cases among US servicemen stationed on the island.
According to government officials, 63 cases have been detected in recent days among US forces, most of them at US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma and Camp Hansen. The Okinawa prefectural government later confirmed 32 more cases at Futenma, bringing the total to 95.
As a result, the US military has announced enhanced protective measures for all nine Marine Corps bases in the region. These measures include closing non-essential facilities on-base, banning off-base activities, and encouraging telework.
Additional measures have been put in place for Camp Hansen and MCAS Futenma to restrict people from entering and leaving those facilities. The US military has also launched an investigation into the origin of the clusters of infections.
Local officials, including Okinawa governor Denny Tamaki, have expressed concerns over the US military's containment efforts. Tamaki has asked US forces to halt the arrival of troops rotating into the country and to boost anti-contagion measures.
The situation has created tensions between the US military and local officials, with many in the region arguing that the US servicemen bear a disproportionate share of the burden of hosting American forces.
