Kadena Mayor requests base burden reduction following recent “intolerable” noise and odor from Kadena Air Base

Kadena Mayor requests base burden reduction following recent “intolerable” noise and odor from Kadena Air Base

At the Okinawa Defense Bureau in Kadena Town on March 17, Mayor Hiroshi Toyama (second from the right) hands the written request over to Director General Toshinori Tanaka (far left).


March 18, 2021 Ryukyu Shimpo

 

Due to aircraft noise and a foul odor coming from Kadena Air Base and increasing in severity on and after March 15, Mayor Hiroshi Toyama of Kadena Town visited Director General Toshinori Tanaka of the Okinawa Defense Bureau at said Bureau on March 17 and requested a reduction in the base burden on residents in areas surrounding the base. Director General Tanaka said that, in response to the strong request that the U.S. military keep its influence on residents of areas surrounding the base to a minimum, a U.S. military spokesperson mentioned that the increase in the use of aircraft was for maintaining quick-response capabilities, and that the use of 18th Air Wing aircraft would return to normal by the weekend.

At the beginning of the week in Kadena Town, noise from the takeoffs and landings of fighter aircraft intensified, particularly in the early morning. Occurrences of noise increased two- to five-fold compared to the week prior. Starting at 6:39 a.m. on March 15 at Rotary Plaza, noise met or exceeded 70 decibels, which is the level of a noisy street, 175 times. There was also a large-scale increase in the number of complaints brought to the Kadena Town government compared to the week prior.

Mayor Toyama stated, “The noise these days is intolerable. Please do not force the townspeople to bear even greater burdens from the base,” and requested effective countermeasures against the noise.

(English translation by T&CT and Erin Jones)

 

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