The Shimin Gaikou Centre welcomes the increased international attention paid to the human rights abuses and environmental contamination associated with the use of depleted uranium weaponry since the 1991 Gulf War. In particular, we note the important progress made by the Sub-Commission for Human Rights in its reference to human rights violations resulting from new weaponry, including depleted uranium (Resolution E/CN.4/SUB.2/RES/1996/16). In particular, we view UNEP? investigation of peace time military activities (such as the maintenance of military bases and training activities) as a critical step toward the resolution of these problems. As we all know, the problem of depleted uranium is not limited to its use in battle, as evidenced by its use during military training in Okinawa, Puerto Rico, South Korea and Germany.

The long-term environmental contamination caused by the use of depleted uranium and other toxic materials on Indigenous lands, such as in the case of Okinawa, is of great concern because it violates a wide range of Indigenous peoples·rights.

According to recently declassified documents, on at least three different occasions from 1995 to 1996, the US military used 1520 rounds of depleted uranium in its training exercises on Torii Island. From 1998 to 2002, US military authorities in Okinawa conducted a series of environmental impact studies. The US maintained throughout that concerns about environmental contamination and related health problems were unfounded. During these studies, however, the military itself sought to recover spent rounds, recovering only 247 rounds. The Japanese government carried out its own study in one area of the US military? northern training area. Although the Japanese government confirmed a high concentration of toxicity, it also stated that there was no fear of environmental contamination.

Furthermore, despite the Japanese government? own ban on the use of depleted uranium, it has not taken steps to prevent its use in Okinawa by the U.S. military. This indifference, plus the continued storage of depleted uranium rounds at a munitions depot located in the middle of highly populated Okinawa Island, highlight the Japanese government? discriminatory policies in relation to Okinawans, and the US military? exploitation of this relationship.

The rights of the Okinawan people to access the training areas to carry out their own environmental assessments go unrecognized. Like US military installations throughout the Ryukyus, Torii Island was forcibly appropriated, in violation of national and international laws such as the Hague Convention.

Not surprisingly, results from studies carried out by the US military and Japanese government regarding the state of environmental contamination at this and other bases are generally not believable to the Okinawan people.

We strongly recommend that this Working Group press UNEP and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to investigate areas where depleted uranium and other toxic materials are used, and the quantity used by militaries on Indigenous territory, in order to report on associated Indigenous rights abuses to the UN General Assembly. We ask that the Working Group aggressively promote this effort and push for a resolution by the General Assembly immediately establishing measures for long-term monitoring of those regions suffering from environmental contamination and the Indigenous rights violations as a result of sustained militarization of Indigenous lands.