Camp Schwab

Camp Schwab, nicknamed Man Camp, is a United States Marine Corps camp located in northeastern Okinawa, Japan, that is currently home to the 4th Marine Regiment and other elements of the 28,000 American servicemen based on the island in fulfilment of the 1952 commitment of the United States to defend Japan. The Camp was dedicated in 1959, in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Albert E. Schwab, who was killed in action during the Battle of Okinawa.

Camp Schwab primarily located in the city of Nago (99%); a small part of the base is located in the village of Ginoza (1%).

The unit conducts live-fire training and coordination with other units to provide a forward defense of Japan.

Incidents
Reports indicate that Agent Orange was stored and used at the base in the 1960s. The US government denies that the toxin was present at the base and the Japanese government has declined to investigate.

On 24 March 2009 a Marine was killed and two others injured in an explosion near the base. The Marine Corps announced that the Marines were part of an explosive ordnance disposal team preparing unexploded ordnance for disposal when the explosion occurred.

Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to move
The governments of the United States and Japan agreed (in the Special actions committee on Okinawa) on 26 October 2005 to move the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma base from its location in the densely populated Ginowan City section of the island to the more northerly and remote Camp Schwab. Thousands of Marines will relocate, affecting the retail economy near both bases. The move is partly an attempt to relieve tensions between Okinawans and the US Marine Corps. Protests from environmental groups and residents over the construction of part of a runway at Camp Schwab, and from businessmen and politicians around Futenma and Henoko, have occurred.

The legality of the proposed heliport relocation has been questioned as being a violation of International Law, including the World Heritage Convention the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The paper also questions whether the current use of Camp Schwab for amphibious training violates these three conventions.

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama announced in May 2010 the MCAS would move to Camp Schwab after all, and not off the island as he promised during the election campaign.