Trump’s Yokosuka Spectacle: The Pageantry of Power and Japan’s Hidden PFAS Crisis
Beneath the aircraft-carrier ceremony celebrating a “new golden age” in U.S.–Japan relations, ongoing toxic discharges from the Yokosuka naval base reveal a grimmer alliance—one built on secrecy, contamination, and a surrender of environmental sovereignty.
By Pat Elder
November 1, 2025
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi cheers on President Trump aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington in Yokosuka, Japan on Tuesday, October 28, 2025. NDTV.com
When President Donald Trump strode onto the flight deck of the USS George Washington at Yokosuka, Japan, it looked like a campaign scene, perhaps choreographed for his unconstitutional 3rd term bid. The imperial president, flanked by sailors and television cameras, praised the might of the U.S. armed forces and declared that “America is respected again.” Beside him, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi spoke of “a new golden age” in the U.S.–Japan alliance, promising that Japan would take on a more “proactive” military posture to safeguard regional “stability.” Beneath the speeches and the steel hull, the waters of Tokyo Bay told another story—one of secrecy, ongoing contamination, and official denial.
The Mayor Who Could No Longer Trust His Ally
Just blocks from where Trump’s entourage gathered, Yokosuka Mayor Katsuaki Kamiji has spent three years confronting the consequences of American power. In 2022, the U.S. Navy quietly released data showing Per fluoro octanoic acid (PFOA) at 12,900 ppt and Per fluoro octane sulfonic acid (PFOS) at 8,592 ppt (parts per trillion) in industrial wastewater discharged from Fleet Activities Yokosuka. These concentrations are several hundred times Japan’s provisional guideline of 50 ppt for combined concentration PFOS + PFOA draining into surface water.
The results are highly significant because both PFAS compounds bioaccumulate in the food chain. Single digit concentrations of these compounds in parts per trillion can begin the process of bioaccumulation in all marine species. The chemicals especially PFOS, can multiply by a factor of several thousand, meaning fish can be expected to have concentrations in the many thousands of parts per trillion.
The Japanese government advises water service providers to keep the combined total of PFOS and PFOA under 50 ppt in drinking water. The government has also set an advisory for surface water at 50 ppt. Meanwhile, the U.S. EPA has announced its intention to regulate PFOS and PFOA in drinking water at 4 ppt. by 2031. The U.S. does not regulate levels of PFAS in surface waters.
Chronic Releases
High concentrations of PFOS and PFOA were detected in base drains discharging into Tokyo Bay. The discovery erased any illusion that the contamination was minor or episodic. The PFAS narrative from the U.S. Forces Japan and the Japanese government has always centered around the notion that PFAS escaped from bases through pesky, yet relatively infrequent “leaks” and that U.S. forces are doing an excellent job in controlling new leaks. “I can’t help but feel anger,” Kamiji said, in response to the dangerous levels at the time. “I can no longer trust the U.S. military.” His statement captured a shift—from polite diplomacy to open disbelief that a supposed ally could foul the city’s waters with chemicals the world’s regulators are vigorously confronting.
The revelation shocked Japan’s environmental community and jolted city residents who rely on Tokyo Bay for food and recreation. Kamiji’s response was unusually blunt for a U.S. military host-city mayor.
GAC filters at United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka, September 24, 2023. The Navy removed this equipment just four weeks later. Photo by Pat Elder
The Navy installed granular activated carbon (GAC) filters at the Yokosuka Navy base later that year, promising they would trap PFAS chemicals before wastewater reached the bay. For a time, sampling data appeared to improve. However, on October 21, 2023, the Navy abruptly discontinued the filters.
In a letter dated February 20, 2024, to U.S. Ambassador Rahm Emanuel, Mayor Kamiji wrote: “In December, 2023 we were informed by the Director General of the South Kanto Defense Bureau that the U.S. stopped the operation of the filters on October 21, 2023. However, there was no information or results of PFAS sampling to indicate the filters were no longer required.”
He continued, “However, if the operation of the filters is stopped, I strongly believe that such a decision should only be based on the analysis of water samples taken both before and after passing through the filters..”
The mayor added, “Despite repeated requests to U.S. Forces Japan through the Japanese government, no information has been provided thus far. As mayor I have a duty to protect my citizens, to assure their safety, and peace of mind. I think that the termination of the filters has become a cause of concern for a considerable number citizens. In light of this situation, I request the U.S. government to take appropriate action, such as sharing the relevant data, to dispel these concerns.”
Kamiji’s experience reflects the deeper asymmetry of the U.S. - Japan’s alliance. Local governments bear the environmental consequences while the U.S. military controls the data. Meanwhile, the Japanese government looks the other way and downplays the threat.
Without continuous monitoring or truly independent third-party oversight, claims of compliance are scientifically meaningless. It’s the same story around the world. The monitoring ought to be constant and the process must be transparent. People should know these levels like they know the day’s temperature.
Carbon filters can capture some PFAS compounds efficiently, but only for a short time before “breakthrough” occurs and the chemicals pass through. Unless the filters are replaced on a strict schedule, removal efficiency plummets. The Navy has offered no information about how long its filters operated, how often samples were taken, or what happened to the captured carcinogens.
Although GAC is effective in the removal of long-chain PFAS, the technology shows generally poorer performance in treating short-chain PFAS. Both short-chain and long-chain PFAS compounds are found in the sewer effluent and in the seafood people eat.
On October 21, 2023, a year after installing the filters, the Navy suddenly reported that the operation of the granular activated carbon filters had stopped. The Navy told the city the values of PFOS, etc. were “stable.” In a rare moment of candor, the Navy explained to the town that “It would be difficult to determine the cause (of PFAS releases) because the wastewater treatment facility processes all the wastewater from the large-scale Yokosuka naval facility.
This statement gets to the heart of the matter. The Navy sticks to the narrative that PFAS releases are all about occasional leaks while they have never admitted to the regular use of PFAS in a host of applications, including these:
• Energy Storage and Batteries
• Microelectronics and Semiconductors
• Castings and Forgings
• Chrome plating
• Refrigeration and Air Conditioning
• Thermal Control of electronics
• Tapes, Cables and Connectors
• Advanced Oils, Greases, Fluids, and Lubricants
• Insulation
• Uniform fabrics, Fabric Liners, and Fabric Barriers
There are hundreds of products containing carcinogenic PFAS that are routinely used and discarded by the U.S. Navy at Yokosuka.
Hundreds of products containing carcinogenic PFAS are routinely used and discarded by the U.S. Navy at Yokosuka. Here we have four products made with PFAS that the U.S. military says are irreplaceable because of national security concerns.
The carcinogens wind up in the wastewater stream and in solid waste that is typically incinerated throughout Japan. The compounds cannot be reliably destroyed by municipal incinerators.
Japanese national denial and the manufactured ambiguity of science
Rather than deep concern, Tokyo offers reassurance.
The Food Safety Commission of Japan conducted a risk assessment of PFAS in food. They developed “intake estimates” of PFAS from various foods and concluded, “Due to the lack of sufficient data on PFAS concentrations and their distribution in various foods, it is necessary to be aware of these intake estimates carrying considerable uncertainty.”
The Japanese Environmental Ministry is cautious about conducting blood tests for PFAS, saying that there is not enough scientific knowledge at present.
The Mainichi Shimbun described the impasse this way: “In any case, by using the scientific uncertainty that ‘the evaluations of harmfulness are not unified’ as a reason, Japan is being left behind the trend toward regulatory strengthening.”
The proceedings of Japan’s House of Representatives Environment Committee released this statement: “It is our understanding that scientific knowledge for evaluating the relationship with health effects is not sufficient.” Yokosuka is located in Kanagawa Prefecture. The prefecture’s leadership has issued only tepid statements regarding the ongoing contamination.
Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA)
Acknowledging contamination on U.S. bases would invite confrontation with Washington and raise serious questions about Japan’s sovereignty under the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) that governs U.S. installations. It is a can of worms that successive Japanese governments have preferred not to open. Their silence reinforces the perception that Tokyo prefers to shield Washington rather than Japanese citizens.
Under the SOFA between the U.S. and Japan, Japanese authorities cannot enter U.S. bases to conduct independent environmental inspections. Even when toxic releases occur, the Self-Defense Forces and prefectural governments must rely on data supplied by the U.S. military or the Defense Ministry’s regional bureaus. This effectively ensures non-transparency.
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I toured Japan during the summers of 2023 and 2024 with Rachel Clark and the Veterans for Peace Japan Speaking Tour. We tested waters flowing from U.S. bases for PFAS, clearly demonstrating dangerous levels of contamination throughout the country.
A Japanese official holds my passport before my legs and arms were swabbed for explosives.
In August 2024, I was enroute to the U.S. after speaking at a dozen Japanese Universities on the threat posed by contamination flowing from U.S. bases.
I was detained at Osaka Airport and my arms and legs were swabbed for explosives under the Secondary Security Screening Selection (SSSS) program of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The episode reveals how deeply Washington’s security apparatus operates on Japanese soil.
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PFAS and Fish
The Yokosuka Municipal Government under Mayor Katsuaki Kamiji “urged Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi that the national government clarify whether the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka is in possession of and uses PFOS and other chemicals and provide an explanation to people affiliated with the fishing industry.”
This is explosive and suggests that the Yokosuka Municipal government understands the great peril facing Japan and is not restrained from addressing it.
While Japanese government agencies say the jury is out on the harmful effects of PFAS, much of the fish the Japanese eat may be severely contaminated with the carcinogens. Tests conducted by university labs have detected PFOS in fish that top those found near U.S. bases in Okinawa. This is an important point because many academics and intellectuals on the mainland have the sense that the contamination is worse in Okinawa than it is on the mainland.
It is astounding to comprehend the pervasive ignorance of the PFAS contamination of fish among the Japanese people when the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, a core national research institute under the Government of Japan, published a study showing alarming concentrations of PFOS in fish from Tokyo Bay.
Env. Sci & Tech, 2003 Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant should not eat this fish, nor should anyone else. Meanwhile, the Japanese government has issued a voluntary advisory to municipalities when PFAS levels exceed 50 ppt in drinking water.
Because PFAS compounds are bio-persistent and bio-accumulative, each catch represents years of unseen chemical loading. Many other PFAS compounds, not shown here, are also known to bioaccumulate in fish tissue. The Japanese are concerned when PFAS levels exceed 50 ppt in drinking water, but few are thinking about the fish. During our surface water testing campaigns outside U.S. military bases in Japan, we found the following 27 PFAS compounds. Most have never been mentioned in Japanese media. Most accumulate in fish and are toxic.
We detected these 27 PFAS compounds in waters flowing from U.S. military bases throughout Japan.
PFAS Testing by the South Kanto Defense Bureau
Japanese military officials reported single-digit results from three areas shown here.
When wastewater rich in PFAS, sometimes containing tens of thousands of parts per trillion, reaches the sea, it rapidly dilutes in the vast water column. Waves and bubbles then draw these surfactants to the air–water interface, sometimes concentrating them a million-fold in foam while leaving only single-digit parts per trillion in open water. Much of the rest binds to organic particles and sediments.
Fish reveal what the water hides. They behave like PFAS vacuums. PFAS compounds, especially PFOS, bind tightly to blood proteins and liver tissue, where they persist for years. Sampling in Tokyo Bay has found hundreds of thousands of parts per trillion of PFOS in fish organs even when surrounding seawater measured under 10 ppt. PFAS disperse quickly, but they never truly go away. They just migrate into living things.
This graphic shows concentrations of PFOS in four species of fish in Okinawa.
Poisoned fish at Kadena Air Base
(ng/g = parts per billion = 1,000 parts per trillion.)
The Hija River drains Kadena Air Base in Okinawa. In 2016 fish were found in the river with PFOS levels from 22,000 ppt to 111,000 ppt. These results only account for PFOS. Often, the sum total of all PFAS compounds in fish tissue may top the levels of PFOS, although the Japanese are fixated on just two compunds: PFOS and PFOA.
Sword Tail 49,000 ppt to 102,000 ppt
Pearl Danios 43,000 ppt to 111,000 ppt
Guppy 35,000 ppt to 48,000 ppt
Tilapia 22,000 ppt to 100,000 ppt
The contamination extends beyond Yokosuka. Our monitoring downstream from military bases in Misawa, Iwakuni, Yokota, and Okinawa bases shows similar PFAS fingerprints linking Japan’s coastal and riverine pollution to U.S. military infrastructure across the archipelago. In each case, the contamination tells a story that the speeches on the American aircraft carrier do not: that Japanese environmental sovereignty has been surrendered to the same power that has been running things for 80 years.
Sources:
Asahi Shimbun (2023-01-31). Coverage of PFAS health effects in Yokosuka.
EPA (2023). Technical Fact Sheet: Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS).
FSCJ (2025-01-26). PFAS Q&A.
Japan Times (2025-10-28). Trump, Takaichi hail “new golden age” in U.S.–Japan ties.
Mainichi Shimbun (2022-10-04). PFAS contamination at U.S. Navy base in Yokosuka.
Mainichi Shimbun (2025-02-13). Government says knowledge on PFAS insufficient.
Military Poisons (2024). U.S. Navy Fleet Activities Yokosuka PFAS updates.
MoE Japan (2025-03-31). PFAS Handbook.
PFAS Project Japan (2023). Critique of Japanese media coverage of PFAS contamination.
Stars and Stripes (2022-09-16). PFOS, PFOA discharges from U.S. base in Japan.
Stars and Stripes (2023-07-12). Navy installs carbon filters to fight PFAS pollution in Yokosuka.
U.S. EPA (2022). Lifetime Health Advisories for PFOS and PFOA.
Yokosuka City (2024-02-20). Letter from Mayor Kamiji to Japan MOD regarding GAC filter shutdown.
I promised my wife Nell I would pay as I go. I spend about $400 monthly, so I won’t publish another paper in the next month until I raise the cash. I still have not received full results from our trip that collected environmental samples from the Fort Ord region. When I do, I will provide an accounting and privately acknowledge donors.
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