A survey by the Okinawa Defense Bureau revealed the existence of dioxins in the soil in a residential area in Kamisedo, Chatan. An analysis of the soil and debris samples from the area found 1.8 times the environmental safety standard limit of the substance.

A survey in the area unearthed pieces of concrete and wood that are believed to have been thrown away by the U.S. Military. The area was used as a dump yard before its return to Japan in 1996. The area is open land designated for residential use adjacent to Kadena Air Base.

The land was divided into lots that the Chatan Town Government put for sale in 2009, and several private houses were subsequently constructed in the area. However, residents started to complain of bad smell and remnants of waste that they were discovering when building their houses. That prompted the Okinawa Defense Bureau to conduct the survey of the land.

The bureau conducted the survey at two different spots in the area, and detected dioxins like cadmium and chromium 5.7 meters deep in the soil from one of the spots.

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