Photo/Illutration An aerial view shows the U.S. Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Since summer is the season for telling hair-raising “kaidan” horror stories, let me give you one.

During the Meiji Era (1868-1912), newspapers sometimes ran reports of mysteries, complete with illustrations.

For instance, there was a report about ghostly, bluish-white lanterns appearing in the air at midnight, at a residence where a family member had died.

Another was about a human voice that rose from a swamp.

I presume the editorial policy was to leave it up to the readers to decide whether the story was true or not.

The Asahi Shimbun recently ran a truly spine-chilling story that began at the U.S. Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo.

It reported contamination from the base of foam fire-extinguishing agents containing synthetic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, collectively known as PFAS, on three occasions between 2010 and 2012.

These chemicals do not decompose readily and can be harmful to health. And yet, the leaks remained undisclosed for more than a decade.

That’s shocking enough.

But even more terrible is that in 2019 the U.S. side told the Defense Ministry, which did nothing about it.

One of the leaks lasted more than a year. About 3,000 liters of contaminated fluids seeped into the ground.

Didn’t the Defense Ministry wonder if the contaminants got into the ground water and whether it was affecting the health of local residents?

Wouldn’t anyone with a modicum of common sense and decency at least try to warn people at risk?

But the Defense Ministry just sat on the U.S. report for four and a half years. And the reason it gave for doing so is beyond scary.

“It not only took longer than expected to coordinate with the U.S. side how much information we could release, but we also had communication glitches within the ministry,” the ministry said.

In Japanese folklore, the fox plays tricks on humans. That must have been what happened to the Defense Ministry officials, because how else can their unbelievable conduct be explained?

The reports of flying lanterns and the disembodied voice from the swamp must have scared Meiji Era readers, but the tales didn’t involve soil and water pollution and inaction in response.

Those stories seem incomparably gentler than the kaidan horror story of the present age.

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 25

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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