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Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

JCP urges government to survey asbestos victims

As fears of lung cancer and other diseases linked to asbestos spread, Japanese Communist Party representative Yoshii Hidekatsu on July 20 urged the government to begin without delay a national survey to find the exact extent of asbestos victims.

Speaking at a House of Representatives committee meeting, Yoshii pointed out that there is an estimate that the number of victims of asbestos will increase by about 100 thousand in the period between 2000 and 2040, which is 50 times the number in the last 10 years.

Aoki Yutaka, Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry Labor Standards Bureau director, said, "We will conduct a survey of people who were qualified for industrial accident insurance."

Pointing out that in 1972, in reply to a JCP representative's question in a House of Representatives committee meeting, the health ministry official stated that it would be necessary for the ministry to consider carrying out health examinations of those residents. Yoshii said that the government must fulfill its promise now. -- Akahata, July 21, 2005