Last week, I met Goro Nakamura
For almost 40 years, Nakamura has been at the forefront of documenting the human toll of Agent Orange in Vietnam. His photographs of defoliated wastelands and deformed children have been exhibited all around the world - and his 1983 book 母は枯葉剤を浴びた (My mother was sprayed by Agent Orange) sold over a quarter-million copies.
Like many others, Nakamura has always suspected that the US military stored and used Agent Orange on Okinawa during the Vietnam War years. In the 1980s, he headed to the island and helped report abnormalities among wildlife in the Yambaru jungles where defoliants had allegedly been used. Then, in 2007 when the VA released its 1998 decision to award compensation to an Okinawa-stationed vet, Nakamura traveled to the States in an attempt to track down the former service member.
This summer, Nakamura was in Vietnam when the Japanese press broke my research on Agent Orange on Okinawa. Thanks to Masako Sakata - director of "Living the Silent Spring" - the three of us were able to meet up in Tokyo last week.
It was great to compare notes with people who are as passionate about this issue as I am. We discussed ways to pursue the problem further on both sides of the Pacific - and with their hard-won years of research, I'm confident the people of Okinawa and the American veterans will see the justice they deserve.
The three of us are well aware of the hurdles we face in winning an admission from the Pentagon - particularly now with the relocation of Futenma on the table. But we are all determined not to allow this cover-up to slip out of the public eye. This is a crime against the environment, human rights and heath.
We have all come too far - and to back down now is unthinkable.
jm
