The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare set up a crisis team Friday to deal with asbestos-linked health problems, while the Ministry of Environment established a similar group, officials said.
The health ministry's team, headed by Hiroyoshi Nishi, vice health minister, is tasked with analyzing how the government dealt with asbestos in the past. It also plans to speed up preventive measures and treatment and insurance coverage to those affected by asbestos.
The two teams will announce their research results and the countermeasures by the end of this month.