Court orders government to compensate plaintiffs for U.S. Yokota Base noise pollution

The Tokyo District Court on May 13 ordered the Japanese government to pay 160 million yen to plaintiffs in the lawsuit over noise pollution from the U.S. Yokota Air Base in the western suburbs of Tokyo.

Out of 325 plaintiffs, 242 will be compensated on the grounds that noise pollution has disturbed their sleep and caused mental stress.

However, the court rejected the plaintiffs' demand for suspension of flights during the night and early mornings.

U.S. Yokota Air Base is located in western Tokyo, stretching over 5 cities and a town. It is the headquarters of the U.S. Forces in Japan.

Recent rulings on noise pollution cases have awarded compensation for plaintiffs' past suffering but rejected their demands for flight suspension and future compensation. (end)