Naval Air Facility Misawa, located at Misawa Air Base in Aomori Prefecture on the northern tip of Honshu, Japan, served as a joint US Navy and Air Force installation throughout the Cold War era. The facility’s position on the northwestern Pacific coast of Honshu made it particularly valuable for monitoring Soviet naval and military activity in the Sea of Japan, the Soviet Far East, and the northwestern Pacific. Navy patrol aviation and P-3 Orion ASW squadrons operated from Misawa conducting North Pacific and Sea of Japan patrol missions monitoring Soviet submarine movements and naval activity. The Cold War-era construction of NAF Misawa’s aviation and support facilities used asbestos-containing building materials in the hangars, maintenance shops, and support buildings consistent with military construction specifications of the period. Navy personnel stationed at Misawa accumulated asbestos exposure from this Cold War facility construction throughout their Western Pacific duty assignments.

Cold War Facility Construction and Asbestos

NAF Misawa’s Cold War construction incorporated asbestos throughout:

  • Patrol aviation hangars and maintenance facilities — the P-3 Orion and earlier patrol aircraft hangars and maintenance facilities at Misawa used Cold War military construction with asbestos-containing materials in the hangar building construction. Aviation maintenance and patrol crew personnel accumulating asbestos exposure from the asbestos-containing hangar and maintenance facility construction during their Misawa duty assignments
  • Intelligence gathering facility buildings — the specialized intelligence collection and processing facilities at Misawa supporting the station’s Cold War intelligence mission used Cold War military construction with asbestos-containing materials in the facility building stock
  • Barracks and administrative buildings — the enlisted barracks, BOQ, and administrative buildings at NAF Misawa used Cold War military construction with asbestos floor tile, asbestos ceiling products, and asbestos-containing pipe insulation in the residential and administrative facility mechanical systems

Cold War Northwest Pacific Operations

Misawa’s role in Cold War Pacific intelligence gathering:

  • Soviet monitoring operations — Navy patrol squadrons and intelligence units operating from Misawa conducted Cold War Soviet monitoring operations in the Sea of Japan and Northwest Pacific, with aviation and intelligence personnel accumulating asbestos exposure from the Cold War facility construction during extended Misawa duty assignments

VA Claims for NAF Misawa Veterans

VA evaluates asbestos-related disability claims on a case-by-case basis. Veterans generally need evidence of in-service asbestos exposure, a current asbestos-related diagnosis, and a medical link between them. Navy and Marine Corps personnel who served at NAF Misawa during any period of Cold War operation and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.