On March 27, 2026, a sign installed near Yara Hijaga Spring near the town of Kadena, Okinawa Prefecture, warns visitors that the water is not safe to drink. (Ryan M. Breeden/The Star-Spangled Banner)
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — Two U.S. military airfields in Okinawa may have the highest levels of toxic “permanent chemicals” found in groundwater nearby in a decade, the Okinawa government says.
Okinawa Prefecture’s annual groundwater survey found elevated levels of PFAS at 12 locations around Kadena Air Base and 13 locations downstream of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, according to results released Wednesday by the Environmental Protection Division.
The study found PFAS levels exceeding Japan’s water quality standard of 1 part in 50 trillion at 31 of 44 sampling sites around U.S. military bases.
The highest pollution level was recorded at Yarahijaga in Kadena town, downstream of Kadena Air Base, at 1:2,800 trillion, 56 times the national standard. The previous highest value was 1 in 2,100 trillion recorded in 2022.
New maximums were also recorded at Yara Ubuga, a natural spring about 2,000 feet from the north end of the air base, and at Ubuga Spring in Ginowan City, downstream from the Marine Corps Air Station.
The study said the increase was “within recorded levels” since sampling began in 2016, and urged residents not to drink water from contaminated sources.
A spokesperson for the department could not be reached by phone for comment Friday.
PFOS and PFOA (both components of PFAS) were commonly used in aqueous film-forming foams, fire extinguishing agents used by both the Japanese and U.S. militaries. According to the Yale Sustainability website, organic compounds are sometimes referred to as “eternal chemicals” because they resist chemical breakdown and can persist for decades or more.
The US Forces in Japan announced in 2024 that it had incinerated its last stockpile of fire extinguisher. PFAS are also used to make water-repellent fabrics, nonstick cookware, and other consumer products.
The study also found elevated PFAS levels in two locations near Marine Corps Camp Hansen in northern Okinawa, three locations near Camps Courtney and Muktuas, and one location near Camp Foster.
Since 2016, when elevated PFAS levels were first reported near the U.S. military base, the prefecture has requested access to the base four times to sample water. U.S. Forces Japan rejected the request in December, citing insufficient evidence that U.S. military facilities in Japan were the source of the contamination.
The environment department may reapply for access to Futenma Air Station, and said in the investigation that U.S. Forces Japan’s response did not take into account the findings of a panel of experts that found the Marine Corps Air Station was a likely source of organic fluorine contamination in the vicinity.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says no level of PFAS is considered safe in drinking water. The American Cancer Society has linked PFAS exposure to an increased risk of liver, breast, testicular, and pancreatic tumors.
Air Force Col. John Severns, a spokesman for U.S. Forces Japan, wrote in an email Thursday that PFAS is a “shared concern” tied to military and civilian industrial activities across Japan, including fire protection, sewage treatment, landfills and chemical plants.
“We remain committed to protecting the health of our employees, their families, and the surrounding communities in which we live and serve,” he wrote. The command said it continues to abide by all agreements and procedures with the Japanese government.
