Foreigners walk through an entertainment district near the entrance to Camp Hansen in Kin, Okinawa Prefecture, on December 24. Shogo Mitsuzumi Local government officials are fuming about how the Japan-U. The S. Status of Forces Agreement is handcuffing their efforts to fight the spread of the novel coronaviruses.
SOFA provisions allow U.S. military personnel to bypass Japanese quarantine offices if they land directly at a U.S. military base, creating a loophole in entry screening.
U.S. military officials did not share details about those confirmed infected, but officials are more frustrated by the failure of those officials.
There has been a major increase in COVID 19 cases involving U.S. military personnel, but cases are also rising in local communities close to U.S. bases, raising concerns about spillover.
Kanagawa Governor Yuji Kuroiwa said at a Jan. 6 news conference that base officials have not always passed along pertinent information in a timely manner.
He said when we think about where the problem lies, we're going to end up at the SOFA issue.
Kanagawa is host to several U.S. military bases, including in Yokosuka and Ayase.
A memo exchange between Japan and the United States in 2013 called for mutual exchange of information regarding infectious diseases confirmed in bases and neighboring communities as expediently as possible.
Kanagawa Prefecture is not the only local government complaining about the failure of the United States to abide by that agreement.
Hiroshima prefectural officials said they have not received any information from officials at U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in neighboring Yamaguchi Prefecture despite Hiroshima concerns that some of their cases have a clear link to those in Iwakuni city, which borders Hiroshima.
The situation was extremely regrettable according to Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki at his Jan. 6 news conference. Okinawa prefectural officials complained that the little information they receive is often unhelpful.
The section dealing with infectious diseases received daily reports from U.S. bases in Okinawa throughout the year-end and New Year s periods. The number of cases at each base was the only information passed on.
There was no information that could help Okinawa officials implement measures to prevent infections from spreading to local communities, such as where confirmed COVID 19 patients resided, when they first showed symptoms or if they had been in contact with any local residents.
There are not all U.S. military personnel on the base. Foreigners who live in Japan for more than three months must register with their local government, SOFA exempts U.S. military personnel from that requirement.
Local government officials don't know how many U.S. military personnel live in their communities or where they live. This is a major problem for the prefectural governments of the Okinawa and Yamaguchi because many Americans are off base.
Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi urged U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on January 6 to step up measures.
Forces Japan raised its warning level for COVID 19 by one level later that same day.
That move is in addition to new measures that require personnel to wear face masks until an individual is confirmed not infected, and mandates that personnel arriving on U.S. military planes in the bases be tested for COVID- 19, and request that all those who leave their bases always wear face masks.
Forces Japan announced on the same day that there were 1,784 COVID 19 cases at its bases, 529 in Iwakuni, 282 at Camp Hansen in Okinawa and 213 at Yokosuka Naval Base.