Sea-Dumped Chemical Weapons: Japan

Transcription

1 Sea-Dumped Chemical Weapons: Japan GLOBAL GREEN USA, US AFFILIATE OF GREEN CROSS INTERNATIONAL Executive Summary June, 2010 Authored by: Ryo Sato This paper primarily assesses the document The National Survey on Toxic Gas of the Former Army, prepared by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment, relating to sea-dumped chemical weapons, as well as other materials listed in the Endnotes. The issues examined are the history of chemical weapons in Japan including production, stockpiles and especially sea-dumping of these weapons.

2 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ryo Sato is a Research Assistant at Global Green USA's Security and Sustainability Program in Washington, DC. His research primarily focuses on environmental security and sustainability. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This report would not have been possible without the support of Finn Longinotto, and my colleagues at Global Green USA. I would also like to thank Geoff Carton from the CALIBRE Systems, Inc., and all those others in the USA and Japan not named here. POINT OF CONTACT Paul F. Walker, Marina Voronova-Abrams and Finn Longinotto Security and Sustainability Program Global Green USA th Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC Phone: Cover Photo Credit: One of the suspected dumpsites in Japan Official website of Miyajima tourism 1

3 Table of Contents 1. History of Japanese Chemical Weapons Categories of Poison Gas Production of Chemical Weapons and Reported Stockpiles Disposal of Chemical Weapons in the Ocean Production and Disposal in the Island of Ohkuno Potential Risks from Disposal in the Ocean Reported Injuries and Deaths Chemical Weapons Washing Ashore Chemical Weapons in the Pacific Ocean Case Study: Offshore of Choshi Bay Legal Considerations Conclusion

4 1. History of Japanese Chemical Weapons (CWs) 1.1 Categories of Poison Gas Various kinds of toxic gases, signal barrels, pipes, and balloon bombs were produced in Japan until the end of World War II (WWII). During that time, chemical weapons were categorized into six colors including toxic chemicals such as Mustard, Lewisite, Phosgene and Hydrogen cyanide. Table 1 shows the list of poison gases, made by the former Japanese government. Vomiting agent in Japan was mixed with Diphenylcyanarsine (DA) and Diphenylchloroarsine (DC). In this paper, all the chemical agents listed below will be considered as chemical weapons including chloroacetophenone, which was often used by the Japanese army in China during WWII. Table 1: The categories of poison gases Army Naming Category Type (Agents) Yellow No.1 Ko Yellow No.1 Otsu Yellow No.1 Hei Yellow No.2 German type Yperite (Mustard agent) French type Yperite (Mustard agent) German type cold Yperite (not frozen) Lewisite Blister Blue Phosgene Choking Brown Hydrogen cyanide Blood Red Diphenylcyanarsine (DA) Diphenylchloroarsine (DC) Vomiting, Sneezing in Japan Green Chloroacetophenone Riot control White Trichloroarsine Toxic smoke-producing Source: Japanese Ministry of the Environment Official Website Lewisite Factory on the island of Ohkuno, Hiroshima Prefecture Source: 3

5 1.2 Production of Chemical Weapons and Reported Stockpiles Chemical weapons were either dumped by the Japanese Army during and after WWII or by the Allied Forces mainly under the command of the United States between 1945 and At the beginning of the First World War, the Japanese government started investigating and researching chemical weapons, because of information that several countries, especially in Europe, were developing chemical weapons. The history of the Japanese chemical weapons program is summarized here 1,2 : 1914: The Japanese Army started researching chemical weapons 1919: The Army established a research institute of chemical weapons 1923: The Japanese Navy established a chemical weapons laboratory in Tokyo 1929: The Army started producing chemical weapons on the island of Ohkuno in Hiroshima 1933: The government established The School for Chemical Weapon Training in Chiba 1934: The Navy s chemical weapons laboratory raised its status to department level 1937: The government established a factory for chemical weapons in Fukuoka Prefecture 1943: The Navy started producing chemical weapons in Samukawa, Kanagawa Prefecture Complete records on chemical weapons have not been found. However, the current Japanese government acknowledges that more than fifteen chemical weapon factories and laboratories operated inside Japan until At the end of the Second World War, more than 30 chemical weapons stockpiles are reported to have existed in Japan (Figure 1) 4. The red circles indicate the locations of chemical weapon factories or laboratories. 4

6 1.3 Disposal of Chemical Weapons in the Ocean Most of the chemical weapons were dumped by either the Japanese Army or the Allied Forces mainly under the command of the U.S. between 1945 and In other words, massive amounts of chemical weapons were dumped in a relatively short period around the end of World War II. After the Japanese government accepted the unconditional surrender on 15th August, 1945, most of the unused chemical weapons were incinerated and dumped in the ocean, or directly dumped in the ocean mainly under the command of the U.S. Army. Some weapons, however, were dumped by the Japanese Army during and right after the end of WWII. This is because sea-dumping was regarded as one of the safest methods to dispose of chemical weapons, especially for human health. 5 The five major types of chemical weapons produced by the Japanese Army before the Second World War were Mustard, Lewisite, Hydrogen Cyanide, DA and DC. Table 2 lists some locations of the major sea-dumped Japanese chemical weapons, not including bullets filled with chemicals, ordered to be disposed of by several countries. In Japan, ton stands for metric ton, or tonne (1tonne = 1,000 kg). Japan has been using metric tons since before WWII. Although there was some information from the U.S. military, most of the information was from Japanese documents. Furthermore, almost all of the information from the U.S. military came through the formal Japanese military army officers involved in the issue and is therefore also in metric tons or tonnes. Table 2: Major sea-dumped Japanese chemical weapons, with date, location, type and disposal by country (Source: The Japanese Ministry of the Environment official website) Date Location Chemical Weapon or Agent By Country August 1946 Sea-dumped but Unspecified 3,689 tons of Mustard U.S. October 1945 Pacific Ocean, off Tokyo, 450 tons of Mustard U.S. and May (Around the end of WW2) originating from Choshi Narashino and Funabashi (Land), Some were dumped in the ocean (unspecified) Unspecified amount of Mustard 6 tons of Lewisite Unspecified amount of hydrogen cyanide Australia Japan August 1945 Pacific Ocean, Sagami bay, off 2 tons of Mustard and Lewisite Japan Tokyo August 17, 18, Lake Hamana-ko, Shizuoka 16 tons of Mustard Japan 1945 Pref. 2 tons of Lewisite October, 1945 Beppu Bay, Oita Pref. 90,000 kg of Mustard Japan November 1946 May 1947 Sea-dumped but unspecified 10 tons of Chloroacetophenone U.S. and Australia August 1946 Sea-dumped but unspecified 192,849 kg of Mustard U.S. and Australia Unspecified Pacific Ocean, off Kochi Pref. More than 2,700 tons of Mustard and lewisite 990 tons of Diphenylcyanoarsine 7 tons of Chloroacetonphenone U.S. and Australia August, 1946 Beppu Bay, Oita Pref. 39,967 kg of Mustard U.S. and Australia 5

7 The Japanese government has reported that 44 chemical weapon dumping sites exist inside and offshore the current Japanese territory. However, the government is concerned that there could be more dumpsites, up to 138, including 29 in water the ocean, rivers and lakes which could pose health risks, as shown in Figure 2 below. 6 The numbers in Figure 2, from 1 to 29, indicate the locations of these dumpsites, and Table 3 shows whether the chemical weapons were dumped in the ocean, rivers or lakes. The Red, Purple, Orange, and Green circles in Figure 2 show the disposal of chemical weapons on land. The Blue circle indicates water-dumped sites, with varying degrees of accuracy, as indicated in the other circles relating to land-dumped sites. Figure 2: Reported Chemical Weapons Dump sites Table 3, which follow, shows dumpsites by location and type of water (ocean, rivers and lakes). The three circles in the column of Production or Possession refer to the chemical weapons research institute in Yugawara, and stock piles in Otaru and Maizuru, respectively, and they are all next to the ocean. A circle in the column of Abandonment means that the Japanese government has disclosed the information on dumped CW in these areas. 6

8 Table 3: Dumpsites by Location and Type of Water (ocean, rivers and lakes) Location, Prefecture Production or Possession Abandon -ment Discovery, Victim, Minesweeping Blister Vomiting, Sneezing Choking, Blood Others Category 1 Lake Kussharo-ko, O O O O Lake Hokkaido 2 Offshore of Abashiri, Hokkaido O O O Ocean 3 Otaru, Hokkaido O O O O Ocean 4 Mutsu Bay, Aomori O O O Ocean 5 Kuji, Ibaraki O O Ocean 6 Offshore of Kashima, Ibaraki O O Ocean 7 Offshore of Choshi, O O O Ocean Chiba 8 Offshore of Futsu, O O O Ocean Chiba 9 Yugawara, Kanagawa O O O O Ocean 10 Sagami bay, Kanagawa O O O Ocean 11 Sagami river, Kanagawa O O O River 12 Lake Hamana-ko, O O O Lake Shizuoka 13 Lake Sanaru-ko, Shizuoka O O O Ocean 14 Maizuru, Kyoto O O O O O Ocean 15 Himeji, Hyogo O O Ocean 16 Around the island of O O O O O Ocean Ohkuno, Hiroshima 17 Offshore of Miyajima, O O Ocean Hiroshima 18 Suou, Yamaguchi O O O Ocean 19 Akiho, Yamaguchi O O Ocean 20 Offshore of O O Ocean Komatsushima, Tokushima 21 Offshore of Omishima Higai, Ehime O O Ocean 22 Offshore of Tosa, Kochi O O O O Ocean 23 Kurume, Fukuoka O O O River 24 Kanda, Fukuoka O O O O O Ocean 25 Misumi, Kumamoto O O Ocean 26 Minamata, Kumamoto O O O Ocean 27 Around Beppu bay, Oita O O Ocean 28 Bungosuidou, Oita O O O Ocean 29 Okinawa O O Lake Source: The Japanese Ministry of the Environment official website 7

9 1.4 Production and Disposal in the Island of Ohkuno The island of Ohkuno is located in the south east area of Hiroshima. It has a coastline of 4.3 km and covers an area of 71 hectares. Although Ohkuno has been developed as a National Vacation Village and become a public health resort today, the island produced poison gases for the Japanese Army from 1929 to Chemical weapon factories were built in the west and south west area of the island, as indicated by the two red circles in the figure to the right. All the chemical weapons used by the Japanese Army, as opposed to the Japanese Navy, during WWII were produced on this small island and went all over Japan and parts of China. The history of Ohkuno is listed below : The Japanese Army bought Yperite (mustard) manufacturing equipment from France and evacuated all the residents from Ohkuno, off the coast from Hiroshima 1929: The Army started producing chemical weapons on the island of Ohkuno and erased the island of Ohkuno from the map 1931: Phosgene production started 1933: Lewisite and tear gas production started 1935: The Army built German style Yperite manufacturing equipment 1945 August 15 th : Japan stopped all the chemical factories in Ohkuno (The same date that the Japanese government accepted unconditional surrender, the Potsdam declaration.) 1945 August 16 th : The Army ordered the destruction of evidence of chemical weapons including documents 1946 May: The Allied Forces, under the command of the United States, dumped about 3,000 tons of chemical agents and weapons into the Pacific Ocean 1947: The U.S. army burned and dissembled the factories of chemical weapons in Ohkuno In the beginning of 1929, less than 100 people were employed in making chemical weapons. However, the numbers of employees involved in chemical weapons production steadily climbed to several hundred in 1935, and jumped to 5,000 in After the government erased the island of Ohkuno from the map, people were not allowed to take photos or even draw pictures. Furthermore, people in the train had to shut the blinds while the train passed next to Ohkuno Island. 8 8

10 The production of chemical weapons is listed in Table 4. The table indicates that factories in Ohkuno had the capacity to produce chemical weapons, particularly blister agents such as Yperite and Lewisite. For unknown reasons, the total production in 1944 suddenly decreased. Table 4: Production per month in the island of Ohkuno (metric tons) (The number in 1944 is total production that year) total German type Yperite French type (0.1) Yperite German type cold Yperite (not frozen) Lewisite Hydrogen cyanide Diphenyl cyan arsine Chloroacetop henone (0.02) Source: The History of Toxic Gas Island [Dokugasutou no Rekishi]p.39 After the end of WWII, as shown earlier, under the command of the United States the Allied Forces, dumped about 3,000 tons of chemical agents and weapons into the Pacific Ocean from the island of Ohkuno alone. The details of sea-dumped chemical weapons from the island (in tonnes, or metric tons) are listed below. 9 Toxic liquid: 1,845 tonnes, which was directly sent to ships by using long pipe Toxic liquid can: 930 tonnes Vomiting (Sneezing) agents: 990 tonnes Riot control agents: 7 tonnes 60 kg toxic gas projectiles: 13, kg toxic gas projectiles: 3,036 These chemical weapons dumped into the Pacific Ocean from the island of Ohkuno are regarded as the largest amount of dumping in Japan. While loading the toxic material to the ships, some material leaked from the pipes, accidentally causing severe injuries to workers. 10 The figure to the right shows a paper cover of a disposal report of toxic gas weapons found by Prof. Yoshimi in 1991 at the National Archives of Maryland (Source :Toxic Island Research Center official website). The picture describes the disposal of chemical munitions from the island of Ohkuno to the Pacific Ocean. 9

11 Original Photographs from Ohkuno Island French Style Yperite factory in Ohkuno Source: Toxic island research center Left Picture: Chemical weapons at the north shore of Ohkuno Right Picture: Ship departure with chemical weapons from Ohkuno Source: Toxic island research center Left Picture: Chemical weapons storage in Ohkuno Right Picture: Power plant in Ohkuno Source: Pictures taken by Ryo Sato, Global Green USA 10

12 2. Potential Risks from Disposal in the Ocean 2.1 Reported Injuries and Deaths According to the result of research conducted by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment reported in 2004, since 1945 there had been 822 incidents including the discoveries of chemical weapons, incidents of human health consequences and the government s handling of chemical weapons 11 Some chemical weapons have been discovered after the Ministry reported the research in 2004, bringing the total to more than 822 incidents. During the past 65 years, more than ten people have died and more than 400 people suffered ill effects from these chemical weapons. The deaths all relate to chemical weapons dumped in Japanese waters. Table 5 shows the discoveries of sea-dumped chemical weapons that have caused human injuries after the Second World War. The table indicates the location, date, type of chemical weapons and victims of discoveries. Table 5: Discoveries of sea-dumped chemical weapons and human injuries Location, Prefecture Date Chemical Weapons Injuries and deaths Mutsu-bay, Aomori Pref. April, 1954 Mustard At least 1 injury 1962 Gas projectiles 11 injured September 5 th, 1968 Unspecified 10 2 injured projectiles August 27 th, 1963 Mustard projectiles 1 died, 1 injured Kuji-bay, Ibaraki Pref. July 2 nd, 1985 Unspecified iron pipes Several children injured Kashima-bay, Ibaraki March 26 th, 2002 Mustard 3 injured Pref. Off Choshi, Chiba Pref. April 1 st, kg of toxic gas 4 died June 24 th, projectiles of Mustard 6 injured June 29 th, kg of Mustard 6 injured projectiles September 13 th, kg of Mustard 10 injures projectiles 1958 Mustard projectiles 17 toxic symptoms September 26 th, 1967 Unspecified 5 injured September, 1967 Unspecified Several injured January 17 th, kg of Mustard can 5 injured Mustard projectiles January 25 th, 1970 Mustard projectile 10 injured March of Mustard projectiles 9 injured November 12 th, 1974 One Mustard projectile 1 injured September 3 rd, 1976 Mustard 5 injured 11

13 Location, Prefecture Date Chemical Weapons Injuries and deaths Off Futtsu, Chiba Pref. June 19 th, 1975 Mustard pipe 2 injured September 7 th, 1975 Mustard pipe 2 injured October 10 th, 1975 Unspecified 1 inured November 1975 Mustard projectile 2 injured July 15 th, 1978 Mustard projectile 1 injured Hamana-ko lake, August, to 5 cans of Mustard Several injured Shizuoka Pref. July 16 th, 1947 Unspecified steel drum 2 died, several injured June 1 st, 1952 Can of Mustard Several injured Kawachinagano (pond), Osaka Pref. September, 1945 Mustard, Lewisite 1 died, 2 to 3 children injured Off Himeji, Hyogo Pref. February to April, of White Phosphorus Several injured Off Ohkuno-shima 1946, 1947 Mustard, Lewisite, 1 died, 90 injured island, Hiroshima Pref. Diphenylcyanoarsine April 1951 Unspecified 1 injured May 29 th, kg tank of hydrogen 1 died, 27 injured cyanide May 11 th, toxic gas tank 1 injured February 22 nd, toxic gas tank Several injured December 22 nd, tank of hydrogen 4 injured cyanide Ohkuno-shima island, April 18 th, 1972 Unspecified 2 steel drum Several injured Hiroshima Pref. Suounada, Yamaguch August 26 th, projectiles of Mustard 13 injured Pref. February 1957 Mustard projectiles Several injured March shells 2 injured Off Komatsu-shima July 1950 Mustard can 11 injured island, Tokushima Pref. Off Omishima Higai, May toxic gas tank Several injured Ehime Pref. Kanda bay, Fukuoka April, 1954 Mustard projectile 3 injured Pref. April, 1954 Mustard projectile 3 injured Off Beppu bay, Oita March 16 th, kg of Mustard 3 injured Pref. projectile Mustard projectiles, 1137 toxic projectiles 32 injured Source: The Japanese Ministry of the Environment official website 12

14 2.2 Chemical Weapons Washing Ashore In 2004 s report, the Japanese government only documented the following three incidents of accidental retrieval of chemical weapons washing ashore (Table 6, below) out of the total of 822 incidents, mostly shown also in Table 5. As discussed above, chemical weapons still threaten populations in the vicinity of the dumping sites and residents have to beware. Table 6: Documented incidents from chemical weapons washing ashore Date Location Agent Consequence April 1951 Choshi, Chiba Pref. 19kg of toxic gas 4 people died March 1961 Suounada, Yamaguchi Pref. 2 projectiles 2 policemen injured February 1997 Ohkuno-shima, Hiroshima Pref. 35 pipes of Akazutsu (Diphenylarsinic acid) Source: The Japanese Ministry of the Environment official website No injury 3. Chemical Weapons in the Pacific Ocean On January 29 th, 1944, the Japanese Army announced the outline of chemical war preparation against the United States. This document outlined retaliation against the U.S. by using chemical weapons, in case the U.S. Army used chemical weapons. The locations of stockpiles were decided by the Japanese government to be in Shanghai, Manila, Singapore, Truck Lagoon and Sapporo, and Ujina. The precise amount of chemical weapons that came from each of these stockpile locations is unknown, except in the case of Ujina, where the amount has been specified. 12 This raises the possibility that chemical weapons might have been dumped, also at sea, not only in China but also in other Asian and Pacific countries. Furthermore, statistical data also shows the possible existence of chemical weapons in other Asian countries. According to Yoshiaki Yoshimi, a professor at Chuo University, 6,616 tons of chemical weapons were produced in Ohkuno-island. However, only 3,647 tons have been found since the end of the Second World War. This implies that nearly 3,000 tons were somehow disposed of in other Asian and Pacific countries, in order to fight the Allied Forces. 13 Because of the undiscovered chemical weapons, another problem is the issue of sunken ships. There is a possibility that chemical weapons are inside the sunken ships. During the Second World War 7,240 Japanese commercial ships alone were sunk most of them in the Pacific Ocean. In the South Pacific 3,800 vessels were sunk, over 85% of them under the Japanese flag, according to Sea Australia, an Australian based business providing environmental/marine pollution solutions. 15 If they are present, chemical weapons could leak and massive disasters could also come about from large amounts of leaking oil in the future

15 The picture to the left shows a gas mask resting near the Japanese sunken ship, Nippo Maru, in Truk Lagoon. Truk Lagoon is located in the central Pacific Ocean. (Source: Photo taken by Rod Klein Figure 3: World War II sunken vessels combining AMIO and SPREP databases Source: The Global Risk of Marine Pollution from WWII Shipwrecks 4. Case Study: Offshore of Choshi Bay Choshi is one of the cities in Chiba Prefecture, located about 100 km east of Tokyo. Choshi is famous as a fish market and the city ranks number one in Japan in terms of the amount of fish caught annually. Offshore of Choshi Bay was one of the biggest chemical dump sites in Japan. The Allied Forces dumped 450 tons of chemical weapons in depths of meters between October 1945 and May According to the Japanese Ministry of the Environment, more than 600 incidents were reported to the government, shown by the red circle around one of the blue squares in Figure 4, and more than 50 people have suffered from the incidents around the Bay. 18 More than two thirds of the 14

16 Global Green USA incidents occurred in the 1970s and in 1972, people discovered chemical weapons and agents on 66 occasions. However, no incident was reported to the government from 1993 to In fact, it is reported that fishermen in the bay area have been throwing the discovered chemical weapons back to the ocean without notifying the government. The fishermen are worried about a rumor that the fish from this region might be polluted by the weapons, which would affect their business. This would cause a larger scale of chemical material scattering. Figure 4: Chemical Weapons Incidents Reported to the Japanese Government Break down of the 606 incidents, offshore of Choshi 15

17 5. Legal Considerations On April 28 th, 2009, the Japanese Ministry of the Environment held a press conference, during which it stated the Ministry s current approach to dealing with sea-dumped chemical weapons. The Cabinet decided that the Ministry of the Environment has a responsibility for the dumped chemical weapons on the land. However, it is still not clear whether and how to deal with chemical weapons from water (- ocean, lakes and rivers.) (April 28, Press conference with the Minister of the Environment, Saito) 20 The above statement implies that the Japanese government still does not have a clear method to remedy the problem of sea-dumped chemical weapons inside their country. As discussed in this paper, there is a high possibility that chemical weapons will be discovered inside and outside of Japan. To minimize the threats of chemical weapons discovery from water to the human health, the government should make specific guidelines relate to sea-dumped chemical weapons. 6. Conclusion Since the Second World War, there have been over 820 discoveries of dumped chemical weapons around Japan. The former Japanese government built chemical factories almost entirely in the island of Ohkuno and disposed of chemical weapons not only in China but also all around Japan, leading to a total number of 30 declared disposal sites. During recent years, the Japanese government has researched and updated the disclosed information on chemical weapons issues for the public, which could contribute to mitigating potential negative impacts on humans and the marine environment, especially on fishermen who are more likely to encounter chemical weapons. However, records on the dumped chemical weapons still remain highly incomplete, resulting in a high possibility that Japanese will accidentally discover and could be harmed by chemical weapons. In addition, to prevent the current situation worsening, for example in Choshi where fishermen have been throwing the discovered chemical weapons back to the ocean, the Japanese government should draft relevant laws promptly and also minimize the possibility of the chemical weapons munitions scattering further. In light of the potential risk these chemical weapons pose both to the environment and local communities not only in Japan but also in the Pacific Ocean, further research and action is urgently needed. 16

18 Endnotes 1 Hatsuichi Murakami. The History of Toxic Gas Island [Dokugasutou no Rekishi]. October Yoshiaki Yoshimi. I was born in the village of toxic gas [Boku ha Dokugasu no Mura de Umareta]. Goudou. July Japanese Ministry of the Environment official website. The National Survey on Toxic Gas of Former Army Japanese Ministry of the Environment official website. The National Survey on Toxic Gas of Former Army Japanese Ministry of the Environment official website. The National Survey on Toxic Gas of Former Army Japanese Ministry of the Environment official website. The National Survey on Toxic Gas of Former Army Hatsuichi Murakami. The History of Toxic Gas Island [Dokugasutou no Rekishi]. October Yuji Okano. Toxic Gas Island. Hiroshima Educational Research Institute. February Hatsuichi Murakami. The History of Toxic Gas Island [Dokugasutou no Rekishi]. October Hatsuichi Murakami. The History of Toxic Gas Island [Dokugasutou no Rekishi]. October Japanese Ministry of the Environment official website. The National Survey on Toxic Gas of Former Army Yoshiaki Yoshimi. Chemical gasses use by the Japanese Army. The Report from Ohkuno- Shima. 13 Yoshiaki Yoshimi. Dokulekiken-Kaihou.2. 17

19 14 Takashi Oida. Loss Commercial ships during/after the War. Resource Center of Sunken ships in battle and mariner ReanMonfils. The Global Risk of Marine Pollution from WWII Shipwrecks: Examples from the Seven Seas. Sea Australia. 16 TaliWoodward.Pacific. World War 2 Wrecks Pose Risk of Toxic Leaks. Ocean Conserve News Archive. December 9, ND%20%20spill%20AND%20%20ship 17 Japanese Ministry of the Environment official website. The National Survey on Toxic Gas of Former Army Japanese Ministry of the Environment official website. The National Survey on Toxic Gas of Former Army Japanese Ministry of the Environment official website. The National Survey on Toxic Gas of Former Army Japanese Ministry of the Environment official website. Press conference with the Minister of the Environment. 18