The government offered vows of action and a denial Thursday after revelations the previous day that officials knew nearly 30 years ago of the serious health hazards of asbestos.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said the government should have taken measures against asbestos back in the 1970s when it learned of the danger asbestos poses to health.
"As we look back now, given that many victims have been discovered, I think it would have been better if we had taken stronger steps," he told reporters.