[CPEO-MEF] BIOWEAPONS, HERBICIDES, GLOBAL: "U.S. Army tested biological weapons in Okinawa" in 1960s

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

U.S. Army tested biological weapons in Okinawa
Rice fungus released in at least two sites in early 1960s, documents  
show

Kyodo, Staff Report
Japan Times
January 12, 2014

The U.S. Army tested biological weapons in Okinawa in the early  
1960s, when the prefecture was still under U.S. rule, according to  
U.S. documents obtained by Kyodo News.

In the tests, conducted at least a dozen times between 1961 and 1962,  
rice blast fungus was released over paddies to see how it affected  
production, the documents made available by U.S. authorities showed.

Rice blast disease causes lesions to form on the plant, threatening  
the crop. The fungus, which is known to occur in 85 countries, is  
estimated to destroy enough rice to feed 60 million people a year.

The U.S. government has previously disclosed information on chemical  
and biological warfare tests it held at sea and on land in such  
places as Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Utah.

The United States is believed to have had China and Southeast Asia in  
mind in developing such crop-harming agents. The U.S. government  
decided to end all biological weapons programs in 1969.


...

For the entire article, see
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/01/12/national/u-s-army-tested- 
biological-weapons-in-okinawa/

--

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

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