Okinawa town finds elevated PFAS levels near Marine base in annual water survey

By Ryan M. Breeden and Keishi Koja | Stars and Stripes | April 9, 2026

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"A town near a Marine Corps base on Okinawa discovered PFAS levels as much as four times higher than is permissible in Japan, according to annual survey results released Wednesday.

Kin town, near Camp Hansen, headquarters of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, found elevated levels of PFAS in five of 14 sites sampled in September and November.

Three sites near the Ryukyu Hospital showed the highest PFAS levels, including 220 parts per trillion upstream of the hospital, 200 parts per trillion downstream and 130 parts per trillion where streams merged, according to the survey results."