NAGASAKI (Kyodo) The city of Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, conducted its seventh drill to deal with a possible radioactive leak from a U.S. submarine Wednesday, but U.S. forces declined to take part, as in previous drills.
About 530 people, including police officers, Self-Defense Forces members and 30 local residents, participated in the drill conducted under the scenario of a radiation from a nuclear-powered U.S. Navy submarine at Sasebo's U.S. naval base reached a level requiring the area's evacuation.
Sasebo Mayor Norio Tomonaga asked the U.S. Navy last October to take part in the drill, but the U.S. forces declined, saying any radiation leak would be contained within the base, so an evacuation of local residents would be unnecessary.
This year's drill comes amid growing concern about radioactive leaks from U.S. submarines. Last year, the submarine USS Houston was found to have leaked water containing trace amounts of radiation during visits to three Japanese ports, including Sasebo.
Fire at Yokota base
Kyodo NewsA fire that broke out Tuesday evening at the U.S. Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo continued to smolder Wednesday morning, after gutting 3,700 sq. meters of a Defense Department accounting service office built in 1948.
