May 31 & June 3, 2025

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Yamazoe Taku and the JCP Tokyo Metropolitan Assemblymembers’ Group on May 29 lodged a protest with the ministries of Defense, Environment, and Foreign Affairs over the U.S. military’s improper disposal of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

The 374th Airlift Wing stationed at the Yokota Air Base had transferred ownership of two transformers containing PCBs to a Japanese contractor for disposal in violation of the Japan Environmental Governing Standards (JEGS) requirements. This was revealed in a report on the “Management of Hazardous Waste Disposals in Japan” released on April 30 by the U.S. Department of Defense Inspector General.

The report notes that the improper disposal of PCBs “could negatively affect U.S. relations with Japan and cause harm to human health and the environment.”

According to the report, each transformer weighs 36 tons and requires dismantling before disposal, and the dismantling process generates 103 barrels of PCB transformer oil.

In principle, the bilaterally-agreed JEGS requires the U.S. Forces Japan to dispose of hazardous waste, including PCB products, through the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Disposition Services, and prohibits the transfer of ownership to a contractor. However, with the approval of the USFJ Commander, this does not apply.

In Japan, the PCB special measures law prohibits the production of PCBs, and requires holders of PCB waste to report their stored waste information to local governments and to properly dispose of their PCBs within a set timeframe.

Yamazoe and the JCP assemblypersons demanded that the government instruct the USFJ to strictly comply with both the JEGS and Japan’s domestic law.