West Japan Railway Co. decided Wednesday not to sue the national government over its decision to impose an additional burden on the firm related to the mounting debt left behind by the former Japanese National Railways.

JR West's decision puts an end to the prolonged dispute between the seven JR group firms and the government, which has asked each of them to put up new contributions to help dispose of JNR debt that has grown to 28 million yen.

The national government and each JR firm had agreed to divide JNR's debt when the national railways were privatized in 1987, but the government has made little headway in disposing of its share, especially amid the sharp plunge in real estate prices since the early 1990s.