Court orders mining company to pay damages to pneumoconiosis patients

The Tokyo High Court on October 23 ordered Nitchitsu Co., Ltd. to pay 188
million yen in damages to its former employees for failing to take proper
steps to prevent them from contracting pneumoconiosis.

Former Nitchitsu employees who got the disease while working in the
company's mine in Saitama Prefecture and their family members filed a suit
at the prefecture's Urawa District Court in 1992, demanding compensation and
eradication of the disease.

The Urawa District Court Kumagaya Branch in April 1999 upheld the claim
of the plaintiffs. The defendants appealed to the High Court.

The High Court supported the district court decision. This will help to
increase the number of the victims to be compensated.

Satisfied with the High Court decision, Yamamoto Takayuki, Plaintiffs'
Lawyers Group head, said that the Supreme Court should not appeal,
considering that this High Court decision will have an impact on similar
pneumoconiosis lawsuits in other parts of Japan.

Mamada Kesao, Plaintiffs Group head, said, "Nine years have passed since
we filed the suit. Only four of the patients remain to hear the judgments
today. Plaintiffs are dying. I want the matter to be settled as soon as
possible." (end)