As we have seen in the past in South Korea, the anti-US activists like to use the environmental card to bash the US military with. The Japanese government is getting out in front of this issue by getting this agreement in place that allows them to have personnel on US military bases to monitor environmental issues:
Secretary of Defense Ash Carter listens as Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Fumio Kishida makes brief remarks during a signing ceremony of the “Agreement to Supplement the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) on Environmental Stewardship” at the Pentagon Sept. 24, 2015. GLENN FAWCETT/DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
The U.S. and Japan signed an accord Monday that will permit Japanese access to U.S. military facilities in Japan for environmental surveys.
The agreement – signed at the Pentagon by U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida – supplements the long-standing Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement that allows the United States to maintain military bases in Japan. While this does not officially amend the SOFA, it is the first such bilateral supplement to the agreement since its implementation in 1960, according to a defense official who was speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter. [Stars & Stripes]
