Agent Orange likely used in Okinawa | 日本のニュースを英語で読むならジャパンタイムズウィークリー


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Agent Orange likely used in Okinawa

The U.S. Board of Veterans' Appeals found in 1998 that the hazardous chemical defoliant Agent Orange was most likely used in Okinawa in the early 1960s.

The U.S. jungle warfare training area in northern Okinawa is pictured in 1996. KYODO PHOTO

In a ruling, issued Jan. 13, 1998, the board concluded that "credible evidence sustains a reasonable probability that veterans were exposed to dioxins while serving in Okinawa."

Agent Orange, a herbicide mixture containing the highly toxic substance dioxin, was sprayed by U.S. military aircraft over Vietnam from 1961 to 1971 to clear jungles and deny cover to communist fighters.

It has since been blamed for numerous health problems, including various types of cancer and birth defects.

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