USFK Announces First COVID-19 Cases: "140 Infected"

Donald Trump, President of the United States [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] The United States Forces Japan (USFJ) Command disclosed for the first time on the 21st the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases by U.S. military bases in Japan.

The command announced on its website that as of the 16th, there were 140 confirmed COVID-19 cases across 10 bases. According to Kyodo News, this figure does not include those who were previously confirmed positive but have since tested negative.

By base, 123 confirmed cases were reported in Okinawa Prefecture, where a cluster infection among U.S. military personnel occurred, accounting for 90% of the total. At the Futenma Air Station and Camp Hansen in Okinawa, 64 and 51 personnel respectively tested positive for COVID-19.

Earlier, Taro Kono, Japan's Minister of Defense, stated at a press conference that the USFJ Command agreed to collectively disclose the number of infected personnel by U.S. military bases in Japan. Until now, despite the surge in COVID-19 cases among USFJ personnel in Japan, the Japanese government and USFJ had not properly released related information, drawing criticism.

Meanwhile, the United States Forces Korea intermittently releases the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases for specific periods but does not announce the total number of infections or cases by base.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.