Fishermen seek compensation over U.S. fighter jet fuel tank incident

So Japanese taxpayers have to pay compensation to Japanese people for an accident caused by an inefficient American war plane？

re: After the talks, the Aomori governor told reporters, "The defense minister promised compensation faithfully. Now we want (the Maritime Self-Defense Force) to make sure they remove the tanks."

Why wasn't the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) called immediately as they are the ones to call in such a situation,  and are responsible for the protection of the coastline of Japan. In addition, the JCG The JCG maintains national-level elite units:

Special Rescue Team (SRT) (特殊救難隊, Tokushu-kyūnan-tai).

Rescue swimmers and public safety diving team. Regional counterparts are Sensui-shi (潜水士).[2]

National Strike Team (NST) (機動防除隊, Kidou-boujo-tai)

Offshore oil spill and chemical hazard response team. The Japanese counterpart of the National Strike Force (NSF) of the USCG.

Not sure what or whom was the basis to get the MSDF involved as they are not the subject matter experts in offshore oil spills or even fuel in waters. 

The JCG also has the remediation contractors on hand to contact if needed or equipment is needed. They also have a hydrological survey equipment. But hey what do I know absolutely nothing. What type of chemicals besides the jet fuel are involved, it is not a secret that additives such as de-icing is added to jet fuel, one can google search that information. What about the people who in the future may eat the fish who have consumed smaller fish infested with jet fuel or the bottom feeders. hmmm. what compensation will the people have?

@bjohnson23,

All fair questions, except that the body of water in question was not the Pacific Ocean, but an interior lake. The fighter plane's flight path took it over Lake Ogawara rather than over the Pacific Ocean.

And I would imagine that under the SFA, the SDF is the agency that gets involved, as the JCG does not get involved in SFA matters.

Just an educated guess.

@bj. It was a lake. Probably the fishermen have been fishing there for hundreds of years. They are probably also elderly and it's the only source of income. They are stuffed. Usually Countryside people have great pride in their produce.

Ok thanks guys for input, however to correct everyone who doesn't have experience in Japan waters, this particular body of water is fed by the Pacific Ocean and associated streams from the mountain areas, aquifers etc. Because the tides and currents do come in from the Pacific including fish to lay eggs and falls under the jurisdiction by JCG not MSDF. The lake is not controlled or managed by MSDF nor was this an MSDF issue or related to MSDF or and SDF or JASDF agencies. The fishermen who use Lake Ogawara are not old guys in their 60s, but rather 40 -60 and not all of them have been fishing these waters for hundreds of years. Hope the above clarifies it for everyone. Someone mentioned interior, not entirely true, as other lakes are interior and not fed by Pacific Ocean as this one is. That is why it is not covered by lake laws in Japan but falls under both waters of lakes and Pacific Ocean.  JCG has full jurisdiction of this particular body of water.

I agree the Iranian gov should pay compensation to the Fisherman's Association and other respected agencies for the tar balls washing ashore, but then again did Japan pay for the radiation exposure in NA and other parts of the world?

Speaking of which, is Iran going to compensate for the HUGE oil spill affecting southwest Japan near Kyushu caused by an Iranian tanker recently???

When it comes to oil tankers there is actually a much better system in place; they have to be insured before they are allowed to carry oil on the high seas. The Iranian flagged ship was insured by a reputable P&I club in the UK which will be responsible for paying any insurance claims. There is little doubt they will pay up.

Mishap after mishap, its only a matter of time before a more serious incident involving US aircraft happens. The sooner this base is moved or even better, closed for good the better. This compensation equation of 75% /25% is insulting! Its time to remove the last vestiges of American occupation and allowed Japan to have a proper military, and defend itself!

The SDF had better buy Russian in the future....

It's almost every week that bits fall off of US aircraft or they crash or there's a rape, a crash or some officer is wandering around naked and totally blotto. Why are they here? No part of Japan is US territory. WWII ended 70 years ago. US "peacekeeping" is a bonanza for US arms dealers. They really should NOT be here. There is no earthly reason for them to be here. There is no problem in this part of the planet that cannot be solved with diplomacy and understanding. All the US military is doing is pissing off Okinawans and making big bucks for the arms manufacturers and dealers.

Shouldn't there be an impact assessment first, before making such claims? How do the fishermen know how much compensation is appropriate? Seems like a knee-jerk reaction.

re: Shouldn't there be an impact assessment first, before making such claims? How do the fishermen know how much compensation is appropriate? Seems like a knee-jerk reaction.

Shoulda coulda, woulda...please, your not in the states, this is Japan and the harvest reeked of fuel and smell.  But if your that confident please enjoy the harvest and add your impact assessment to it.  These fishermen know every inch of that lake and they also know full well the yearly harvest too, but then again your a foreigner and alien to the fishermen who live, eat and breathe what they sow and reap. 

re: Why are they here? No part of Japan is US territory.: Ironic you say that because thanks to MacArthur it isn't.

re: Mishap after mishap, its only a matter of time before a more serious incident involving US aircraft happens. The sooner this base is moved or even better, closed for good the better. This compensation equation of 75% /25% is insulting! Its time to remove the last vestiges of American occupation and allowed Japan to have a proper military, and defend itself!"

US sentiment exactly since 1970 have tried to leave but many of you wont' let them go home. Do you really think many of the Americans or their families back home want to see them shed their blood to defend a foreign country voluntarily, because that is what the members are volunteers. I have met many parents of the military members who ask why their sons or daughters should shed blood or lose their lives defending another country that does not benefit them.  hmmmm. Do you even realize the costs to run a military much less to have one as successful as the US?  It takes lots and lots of money which comes from an over taxed system and the people have to pay and much cheaper to hire one.

The US will pay nothing as Japan is still under US occupation. First step is to tell the US to remove its bases from Japanese soil. Does Abe have the guts to do this?

Readers wishing U.S. bases in Japan would be removed consider this. The U.S. military is your first-line of defense against such bad actors as Rocket man in North Korea.

If he was to hurl a nuclear weapon, say, at Misawa, if the U.S. was gone, how would Japan defend itself? Last time I checked, the Japanese Constitution still prohibits used of nuclear weapons.

The US will pay nothing as Japan is still under US occupation. First step is to tell the US to remove its bases from Japanese soil. Does Abe have the guts to do this?

According to Snowden, US seems implanted nuclear bombs in Japan's major facilities to prevent such move.

JeffLee

Totally agree. People are screaming for compensation before we even know what damage there actually is.

It is also sad that some people are making a political issue out of this.

This mentality of "occupying forces" really is becoming "Old Hat".

Wait, why don't the people involved in U.S. Air Force sincerely take part in the cleanup of that lake? I think almost every people know who this incident completely agree that it is their falut. Even kids would be aware of it, I think, in case of this.

WHY was my previous post deleted?..

Was it unfair to bring up the point of the Iranian oil tanker accident which is sending tons of petroleum/oil pollution all over western Japan's islands near Kyushu?? Will the parties involved in that accident be compensating Japan in any way?

It always amazes me how such small events (in the scheme of things) get so blown out of proportion in Japan, the disdain for America shines through in the out of whack reporting. In reality these sort of incidents occur through out the world within every military and the JSDF is not immune to their fair share of incidents and accidents either, it only appears that the U.S military suffers more because of the exaggerated coverage every tiny thing receives when it occurs anywhere near Japan.

Does anyone know if there are US nuclear missiles installed in Japan aimed at its neighbors?

Make the US pay

Yet the US needs to clean up the lake and take responsibility for the damage it caused to the lake. This includes paying damages to the fishermen.

All the US military is doing is pissing off Okinawans and making big bucks for the arms manufacturers and dealers.

Once again, please read the articles before assuming that anything military related is about Okinawa.

Go ahead, reread the article,.....

"Just put it on my tab." -- US Military

Probably the fishermen have been fishing there for hundreds of years.

More like tens of thousands of years.

Does anyone know if there are US nuclear missiles installed in Japan aimed at its neighbors?

Yes, everyone knows that there aren't.

Under the Japan-U.S. status of forces agreement, the United States is supposed to pay 75 percent of the total amount of damages caused by its military in the performance of official duties in Japan, with Japan covering the rest, if the United States alone is responsible.

Then the Japan-US status of forced agreement needs rewriting. The US military gets things wrong, and the Japanese taxpayer is expected to pay the lion's share of putting things right? What fool decided that was a good idea, or fair?

How do the fishermen know how much compensation is appropriate? Seems like a knee-jerk reaction.

Knee-jerk is understandable. They've just had their livelihood snatched away from them, through no fault of their own. Even if it turns out, after months/years of monitoring fisheries in the lake, that the quality of the catch is not affected at all (highly unlikely), the fishermen still face the immediate problem of not being able to sell anything for a prolonged period of time. Would you buy food that has likely been soaked in jet fuel? Me neither.

They need immediate, short-term compensation to tide them over now, with the amount adjusted later in the light of how long it takes to get back to normal.

YuriOtani: "Yet the US needs to clean up the lake and take responsibility for the damage it caused to the lake. This includes paying damages to the fishermen."

The difference between this incident and something like Fukushima is that the US actually will compensate the people that have suffered as a result.

tinawatanabe: "According to Snowden, US seems implanted nuclear bombs in Japan's major facilities to prevent such move."

What hogwash! And in any case, if you're suddenly so concerned about nuclear bombs, why are you not lamenting the Japanese government's decision not to sign a ban on nuclear weapons?

BertieWooser: "All the US military is doing is pissing off Okinawans and making big bucks for the arms manufacturers and dealers."

As if your bias needs more proving, this isn't even remotely about Okinawa. Haha. Well done.

Sorry if this were the SDF there would be no problem.

If this were the SDF, there might have been criminal prosecutions.