The government on Thursday sat down at the Kumamoto District Court with former Hansen's disease patients not forced into sanitariums under an old quarantine policy as well as the relatives of deceased patients, where the two parties agreed to settle their dispute out of court.
Both sides are expected to reach a final settlement next month after filling in the details of a compromise announced Wednesday.
During the court conference, the plaintiffs agreed to the government's settlement offer, such as abandonment of delinquency charges and attorneys' fees over the suit, while the government accepted the court's recommendations on compensation.
The court recommended Dec. 7 that the two sides agree to a settlement under which the government would pay 5 million yen to 7 million yen to 16 former leprosy patients who were not quarantined.
It also recommended that the government pay 5.5 million yen to 14 million yen each to the relatives of 72 Hansen's disease patients who died before the suit was filed.
On Wednesday, the government presented other conditions to the plaintiffs but has yet to decide whether to include them in the settlement.