Residents near U.S. Iwakuni base complain of intolerable noise

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Residents near U.S. Iwakuni base complain of intolerable noise

In a noise-pollution lawsuit filed by 476 residents living near the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station in Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture against the Japanese government, three plaintiffs gave their statements in court on July 9.

About 120 plaintiffs and their supporters packed the courtroom in the Yamaguchi District Court to watch the first proceeding on this case.

This noise-pollution lawsuit is the first to be filed by people living near a military base in Japan.

They are demanding a halt to nighttime flight training exercises, an injunction against the planned relocation of a carrier-borne aircraft unit from the U.S. Atsugi Naval Base (Kanawaga Pref.) as part of the U.S. military realignment, and 547.4 million yen in damages for noise pollution.

In their statements the three plaintiffs each said, "I can neither watch TV nor talk on the phone when U.S. aircraft fly overhead causing sonic booms"; "Even the noise insulation work I had done on my house has been of no help"; and "I have been suffering from an extreme sleep disorder."

Houses of all the plaintiffs have had noise-reduction work on their homes done by the government. Yet, the noise levels remain higher than 75 on the Weighed Equivalent Continuous Perceived Noise Level Index.

- Akahata, July 10, 2009