Two Mitsui group mining companies and miners who contracted lung disease signed a settlement document Thursday stating the firms will pay 8.1 billion yen in compensation to the plaintiffs by April.
Shuji Nishino, president of Mitsui Mining Co., apologized to the plaintiffs, including relatives of ailing miners who have died.
Mitsui Mining, Mitsui Coal Mining Co. and the plaintiffs also issued a joint statement announcing an end to the legal action initiated in 1985 against the firms, involving workers who contracted anthracosis, or black lung disease, a variant of pneumoconiosis.
The settlement affects 465 plaintiffs in three lawsuits against the two companies and is the largest compensation amount ever paid out in such a suit.