Okinawa, Japan – the biggest coronavirus The outbreak within the U.S. military anywhere in the world continues to grow. US forces in Japan confirmed another 36 on Wednesday Infections between troops on the Japanese island of Okinawa, bringing the total to at least 136 since the U.S. Army reported its first cases there last week.
Until then, all of Okinawa had seen only 148 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since February, and Japanese authorities managed to stem the spread of the virus that causes the disease.
In a sign of mounting tension between Japanese officials and the US military in Okinawa, Defense Minister Taro Kono has pointed to “various problems” with the US response to the pandemic. In particular, he avoided giving details when journalists pressured him earlier this week.
Local media in Okinawa have reported that July 4 celebrations, both inside and outside of US bases, attended by hundreds, if not thousands, of people may be at least partially guilty. But medical experts warn that the virus may have spread through several other vectors.
“Okinawa residents are extremely anxious” about the spread of the infection on US military bases, said Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki, who traveled to Tokyo on Wednesday to meet with Defense Minister Kono to voice complaints of his island.
“We are extremely concerned,” Kono told the governor. “We will deal with that.”
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Almost half of the 50,000 US Army troops in Japan are stationed on Okinawa, a subtropical island sometimes known as Hawaii of Japan with an area about one-third the size of Rhode Island.
Among Washington’s military establishments, Okinawa has been called the “cornerstone” of the United States in the Pacific. The island is closer to the capital of Taiwan, Taipei, than Tokyo. It is a critical foothold for Washington, both to protect Asian allies, including Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, and to project US power and to react to China’s increasingly aggressive military movements in the region, and the ever-present threat from North Korea.
As of Wednesday, at least some restrictions had been imposed on five affected US bases in Okinawa, and the two most affected were the de facto blockades. All US troops and their families on the island have been banned from leaving bases without approval, and have been banned from accessing local restaurants and public transportation.
Extending along a 25-mile strip of road in the southern half of Okinawa, U.S. facilities with confirmed coronavirus infections include Camp Kinser, Marine Corps Airbase Futenma, Marine Corps Airbase Kadena, Camp McTureous, and Camp Hansen.
ISSEI KATO / REUTERS
Futenma has the majority of infections, with at least 71 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Kadena is the largest US base in Asia. Both bases are located five miles from the city of Chatan, a popular nightlife destination for US troops that has an area called “American Village” tailored to the tastes of soldiers and tourists.
The area has been at the center of previous crimes involving members of the US service, and has been a thorn in the side of the Okinawa prefecture government.
The coronavirus outbreak has only fueled that anger, which increased further with confirmation this week from the US Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, on the Japanese mainland, that an American couple and their 10-year-old daughter had tested positive for the virus after arriving from the United States
The family traveled on a commercial flight from the US to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Sunday, and like all other international arrivals, they underwent COVID-19 tests. But before obtaining the results of those tests, it was reported that the family boarded a domestic flight, against the rules that prohibit the public transportation of newly arrived passengers, to reach the Navy base.
Health officials are now competing to locate and contact all the people the family may have had contact with during their travels.
Meanwhile, the Japanese capital has raised its alert to the highest possible level after the average rate of new daily infections exceeded the number reached under the state of emergency in April.
Lucy Craft of CBS News in Tokyo contributed to this report..
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