Okinawa’s Environmental Struggle: Civil Disobedience as a Tool for Justice?
August 2, 2025 By: Kai Maekawa
In recent reports, PFAS contamination near U.S. military bases in Okinawa has become a critical environmental issue. According to Stars and Stripes, PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” have contaminated water sources around bases such as Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. For example, water samples taken downstream showed contamination levels reaching 1,600 parts per trillion, significantly exceeding Japan’s acceptable safety standard. This contamination is linked directly to firefighting foam historically used by the U.S. military. Consequently, the Okinawan government is now forced to invest heavily in water treatment infrastructure while attempting to hold the U.S. accountable for remediation efforts.
My position on this issue is clear—I strongly oppose the lack of accountability and transparency shown by the U.S. military. The contamination endangers public health, burdens local communities financially, and highlights a broader injustice related to military bases and environmental responsibility. Okinawa, already hosting the majority of U.S. military facilities in Japan, unfairly carries the additional burden of environmental degradation.
Considering the role of civil disobedience, the documentary “Birth of a Movement” provides important historical context. It details how protests against toxic oil spill in Santa Barbara which ignited broader public awareness and the environmental justice movement in the United States. This example underscores that even when protests don’t immediately achieve their goals, they can still catalyze significant long-term policy changes and social awareness.
A vivid recent example comes from the Netherlands in September 2023. Thousands of activists from Extinction Rebellion, Greenpeace, and other groups occupied The Hague’s A12 motorway, directly challenging government authorities by physically blocking a crucial access route to the temporary parliament building. They demanded an immediate end to €37.5 billion in annual subsidies supporting fossil fuel industries, explicitly stating their intention to continue daily protests until their demands were met. Although police used water cannons and made numerous arrests to disperse the activists, the protest significantly influenced national media coverage. As a direct result, Climate and Energy Minister Rob Jetten publicly recognized the urgent need to phase out these subsidies. Furthermore, with the upcoming general elections in November, politicians faced intensified public pressure to establish a concrete timetable for ending these subsidies. This example clearly shows that sustained, peaceful, and highly visible civil disobedience can transform technical policy debates into prominent national issues, compelling policymakers to take concrete actions.
In conclusion, in my perspective, civil disobedience remains an essential and effective tool for addressing environmental crises, as demonstrated historically and in recent cases. While immediate success isn’t guaranteed, persistent and peaceful protest often plays a critical role in driving environmental justice forward. Lastly, as an Okinawan, I am deeply concerned about international peace, especially the relationship between China and the United States, as it might directly impact us. We demand that the U.S. military take greater responsibility for the contamination they have caused; however, we remain subjugated under the power of the United States, and there is very little we can influence, even though we continually demonstrate disobedience to this ongoing injustice.
Sources:
“Birth of a Movement” Documentary
https://apnews.com/article/netherlands-protest-climate-fossil-fuels-f7e19f0f9745c851a470be4de0f9bb2f