Japanese Potentially Polluting Wrecks in the Pacific

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Japanese Potentially Polluting Wrecks in the Pacific Ocean By Ryo Sato 1. Executive Summary This paper assesses the location and potential dangers of contaminant associated with Japanese
sunken ships and the possible contaminants, including oil and chemical weapons, leaking from the
sunken ships in the Pacific Ocean. Many countries dumped chemical agents into the ocean; some
agents, including chemical weapons (CWs), were dumped intentionally and others accidentally
into the ocean. In either case, marine disposal of chemicals of all kinds threatens human and
environmental life.
2. Japanese Commercial Sunken Ships During the Second World War (WWII), 7,240 Japanese commercial ships, including fishing boats
were sunk1 -- most of them in the Pacific Ocean. In the South Pacific 3,800 vessels were sunk,
over 85% of them under the Japanese flag, according to Sea Australia, an Australian based
business providing environmental/marine pollution solutions.2
While this paper focuses on Japan, the geographic dispersal of sunken ships during WWII shows
concentrations both around the north Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as shown in the map below.
World War II sunken vessels combining the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Indian
Ocean (AMIO) and Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP) databases
Source: The Global Risk of Marine Pollution from WWII Shipwrecks (R. Monfils 2004)
0 Global Green USA
A Japanese researcher put the number of people who died from Japanese ships sinking during
WWII, including civilians, crewmen, soldiers and war prisoners, at 232,000.3 This number
included 59,200 civilians who died during Japanese ocean transportation mainly in the West
Pacific Ocean.4 Ships and vessels did not have enough naval escorts and were targeted from the
Allied Forces, mainly from the United States, but the Japanese government and private companies
continued the shipping activities.5 The ocean transportation system was vital for Japan to transport
natural resources, commercial goods, and passengers at that time, adding to the deaths of Japanese
and the number of sunken ships in the Pacific Ocean.
The figure below shows the distances of major Japanese shipping lanes during WWII. Since the
average speed of Japanese ships was 10 knots (nautical miles/hour), the voyage between the
islands was a long journey.6 This was one of the main reasons that the Japanese commercial ships
were easily targeted by the U.S. Navy, including submarines.
Source: Loss of Commercial Ships During/After WWII
http://www.ymf.or.jp/image/nenpo56/nenpo56.ooida.pdf
3. Location of Sunken Ships The figures below show that 2,588 Japanese ships over 100 metric tons were sunk during the
Pacific War from 1941 to 1945. The alphabet letters in the table and map below refer to sea areas,
and the numbers next to the letters refer to the number of sunken ships in each area, with the totals
reflected in each geographic area in the chart. After 1942, the number of the Japanese sunken ships
increased suddenly. Almost all the ships were sunk between 1942 and 1945. This is because the
Japanese navy lost their main fleet in 1942 and lost the command of the seas in the West Pacific
Ocean, leading to greater incursions of the US Navy into the area, as well as increased use of
commandeered private vessels, which did not have the capability to defend themselves.
Source: Association of War Ship Records (Senbotsu sen o kiroku suru kai)
http://www.ric.hi-ho.ne.jp/senbotusen/siryo-deta/kaiikibetu.htm
Several shipping lines linked Japanese supply bases during WWII. The ships and vessels moved
from base to base carrying passengers and goods. The first figure below shows the supply bases
(the names of the bases are not placed in their geographic location), and the second figure depicts
the major sea transportation routes between the supply bases. To reach the sea areas around
Indonesia, the Japanese ships and vessels needed to stop at several ports. Most of the ships were
attacked by the U.S. Navy on the way to these ports. In other words, most of the sunken ships are
on the ocean bed along those shipping lines.
The figure below shows major sea battles and the accidents of oil spilling in the South West
Pacific Ocean. Japanese and U.S. sunken battle ships are mainly around the battle area. For
example, five aircraft carriers, one heavy cruiser and one destroyer were sunk in the battle of
Midway.7
4. Chemical Munitions and Sunken Ships On January 29th, 1944, the Japanese Army announced “the outline of chemical war preparation”
against the United States. This document outlined retaliation against the U.S. by using chemical
weapons per chance the U.S. Army first used chemical weapons. The locations of stockpiles were
decided by the Japanese government to be in Shanghai, Manila, Singapore, Truck Lagoon and
Sapporo, and Ujina. The precise amount of chemical weapons that came from each of these
stockpile locations is unknown, except in the case of Ujina, where the amount has been specified.8
This raises the possibility that chemical weapons might have been inside Japanese sunken ships.
Furthermore, statistical data also shows the possible existence of chemical weapons in other Asian
countries. According to Yoshiaki Yoshimi, a professor at Chuo University, 6,616 tons of chemical
weapons were produced in Ohkuno-island. However, only 3,647 tons have been found since the
end of the Second World War. This implies that nearly 3,000
tons were somehow disposed of in other Asian and Pacific
countries, in order to fight the Allied Forces.9
The picture to the left shows a gas mask resting near the
Japanese sunken ship, Nippo Maru, in Truk Lagoon. Truk
Lagoon is located in the central Pacific Ocean.
Photo by Rod Klein
http://www.scubadiving.com/travel/2007/07/worlds-best-wrecks
5. Oil leaking from Japanese Sunken Ships Another problem is the issue of sunken ships leaking oil. These
shipwrecks could bring about massive disasters from leaking oil in the
future.10 For instance, in 1944 an American bomb sank the Japanese oil
tanker Hoyo-Maru, which now rests on the seabed. The tanker
contained 2,000,000 gallons of fuel oil which could leak into the ocean.
The Australian underwater archaeologist Jeffery Bill has reason to
believe that bunker oil is leaking from the Hoyo-Maru and states that of
the 52 shipwrecks located in Chuuk Lagoon, three are oil tankers
(Hoyo-Maru, Shinkoku-Maru and Fujisan-Maru). Combined these
vessels have the potential to carried up to 32,000 tons of oil
(approximately 32,000,000 liters or 7,620,000 gallons).11
Sunken ships have the potential to harm human health and the marine
environment. A number of environmentalists worry about these
wrecks, which are vulnerable to improper anchoring, dynamite fishing,
and storms. Researchers are also concerned about the corrosion and
possibility of leakage from these wrecks, since many have already been submerged for more than
60 years.12
Photo above: Bubbles from the wreck. Photo by Bill Jeffery
6. Conclusion The negative legacy of the Second World War includes the danger of bunker oil leakages from the
7,240 Japanese ships, as well as those of other nations, sunk in the Pacific Ocean. Furthermore
there is a possibility that some sunken ships contain chemical agents and unexploded ordnance.
Since most of the ships and vessels have not been definitively located, it is important to conduct
thorough research in order to establish a database before further investigation can be made of the
dangers posed by these sunken ships both to humans and the environment. Major shipping lanes
will be one of the primary clues to locate Japanese and other sunken ships. Because of the
potential risks these pollutants pose both to the environment and local communities in the Pacific
Ocean, further research and action is needed.
Endnotes
1
Takashi Oida. “Loss of Commercial ships during/after the War.” Resource Center of Sunken ships
and Crews in Battle.
http://www.ymf.or.jp/image/nenpo56/nenpo56.ooida.pdf (Accessed on March 16th , 2010)
2
Rean Monfils. “The Global Risk of Marine Pollution from WWII Shipwrecks: Examples from
the Seven Seas.” Sea Australia.
3
Takashi Oida. “Loss of Commercial ships during/after the War.” Resource Center for Sunken
Ships and Crews in Battle
4
5
6
7
Atsushi Aizawa. “An Announcement from the Imperial Headquarters and the Battle of Midway.”
http://www.nids.go.jp/publication/senshi/pdf/200403/10.pdf
8
Yoshiaki Yoshimi. “Chemical gasses use by the Japanese Army.” The Report from Okuno shima.
9
Yoshiaki Yoshimi. Dokulekiken-Kaihou.2.
10
Tali Woodward.Pacific. “World War 2 Wrecks Pose Risk of Toxic Leaks.” Ocean Conserve
News Archive. December 9, 2008.
http://www.oceanconserve.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=112882&keybold=oil%20AN
D%20%20spill%20AND%20%20ship (Accessed on March 16th , 2010)
11
Bill Jeffery. “Report on Oil/Diesel leaking from shipwrecks in Chuuk Lagoon.” August 17th ,
2008
12
Tali Woodward.Pacific. “World War 2 Wrecks Pose Risk of Toxic Leaks.” Ocean Conserve
News Archive. December 9, 2008.
http://www.oceanconserve.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=112882&keybold=oil%20AN
D%20%20spill%20AND%20%20ship (Accessed on March 18th , 2010) 6 

Japanese Potentially Polluting Wrecks in the Pacific

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