Report: American Military 'Poisoning' Okinawa For Years
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview.
President Obama saw protests and outrage when he arrived in Japan for the G7 summit on Wednesday.
The Japanese have been stunned by the brutal rape and murder of a 20-year-old woman who was allegedly killed by a U.S. military base contractor on the island of Okinawa. The incident has brought back raw memories of a similar crime that was carried out two decades ago, and exacerbated Japan's decades-long discontent with U.S. military facilities on the island.
While crime and the safety of both Japanese and Americans living on the island has always been a concern, the environmental consequences of military installations are still being uncovered.
Despite denials from the Pentagon, U.S. veterans who were stationed on Okinawa during the Vietnam War say that dioxin — the toxic chemical commonly known as Agent Orange — was stored there and that they were sickened by it.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear Jon Mitchell, a journalist and author of the book "Chasing Agent Orange on Okinawa," explain.
