Japan Press Weekly

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2010 June 2 - 8 [WELFARE]

Government appeals against ruling in asbestos exposure case

The lawsuit was filed by 29 former factory workers, their families, and residents living near the factory in southern Osaka Prefecture. The district court on May 19 ordered the government to pay 435 million yen in damages to 26 former workers and their bereaved families.

The plaintiffs and their lawyers on the same day expressed strong protest against the government’s decision at a press conference in the Health Ministry.

“I had half of my right lung removed. I don’t know when I will suffer a relapse,” said 67-year-old former worker Minoda Tsutomu.

Co-representative of the plaintiffs group Sato Miyoko, 65, said that it has been one year since her husband died of an asbestos-related disease. “Cabinet members should visit our area and see with their own eyes the suffering,” she said, criticizing the government for deciding to take the case to a higher court without having meetings with the plaintiffs.

In a statement published on the same day, the plaintiffs and lawyers expressed their determination to do their utmost to bring the case to a swift settlement and achieve relief for all plaintiffs. They also held a sit-in protest in front of the prime minister’s office.

At a House of Councilors health committee meeting on the same day, Japanese Communist Party representative Koike Akira demanded that the government withdraw its appeal and enter into negotiations with the plaintiffs.
- Akahata, June 2, 2010