Japan Press Weekly

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2014 November 5 - 11 [LABOR]

Fukuoka District Court orders gov’t to pay damages to asbestos victims

The Fukuoka District Court ordered the state on November 7 to pay about 140 million yen in compensation to former construction workers in Kyushu whose health was damaged by asbestos.

These workers had worked for a long time at construction sites and developed serious diseases such as lung cancer due to exposure to asbestos. In October 2011, they and bereaved families filed a lawsuit with the district court, seeking damages from the state and 42 building material makers.

The ruling pointed out that the government failed to give those makers precise directions that require them to instruct workers to wear protective masks at construction sites although aware of the harmful effects of asbestos, which constitutes an illegal action.

On the other hand, the court did not hold the construction material makers responsible for workers’ health damages by stating that the kinds of building materials used were too various to identify their producers. The court decision also excluded self-employed builders from those to be compensated.

At a press conference after the ruling, Hiramoto Kaoru, leader of the plaintiffs’ group, stressed, “The state and construction material makers should make serious efforts to settle this case before we die.”

Yamamoto Kazuyuki, head of the defense counsel for the complainants, expressed his intent to continue urging the government and manufacturers to resolve the dispute as soon as possible, noting that this is the third time for a court to place the blame for asbestos victims on the state.


Past related article:
> Top Court: state responsible for workers’ illnesses caused by asbestos [October 10, 2014]