Japan warned of radioactive leak from sub

Source: Agencies  |   2008-8-3  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

THE US Navy has warned Japan that a nuclear submarine may have had radioactive leaks during recent calls in two of its southern ports.

The US says the amount of radioactive water leaked was negligible, but the news could cause a stir in Japan, where both the US military presence and its nuclear vessels are controversial.

Japan's Foreign Ministry said yesterday that the US Navy had told it that the nuclear-powered USS Houston submarine might have leaked a small amount of radiation during port calls in the southern Japanese naval ports of Sasebo and Okinawa in March and April.

Sasebo city official Akihiro Yoshida said government monitoring during the submarine's calls showed no abnormal increase of radioactivity in the area's waters at the time.

"Still, we are rather concerned," Yoshida said.

News of the leak comes just weeks ahead of the controversial arrival of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington in Yokosuka, just south of Tokyo.

The carrier's arrival was originally set for August under a Japan-US security alliance, but it is being delayed until late September because of a fire aboard the vessel in May.

The George Washington is relieving the soon-to-be decommissioned USS Kitty Hawk, and will be the first US Navy nuclear-powered vessel to station permanently in Japan.

The George Washington's upcoming deployment had already triggered protests, and the fire escalated concerns many Japanese have about nuclear power.

Masahiko Goto, a lawyer representing a citizens' group opposing the George Washington's deployment in Yokosuka, sharply criticized the US Navy for withholding information about the submarine leak.

"They had discovered the radiation leak weeks ago and did not inform the Japanese government immediately," Goto said in a statement.

"The US Navy's handling of the accident and lack of transparency showed there is no way we can trust them," he said.