Bureaucratic red tape hindered Japan from taking a more aggressive stance against asbestos use in the past, the government said Thursday.
"There was no administrative oversight, but the government failed to appreciate the importance of preventive measures (against asbestos use) and there was inadequate communication between government ministries and agencies," a Cabinet-issued statement claimed.
It was the first time the government has formally expressed partial responsibility for diseases related to production and use of the toxic, unburnable mineral.
The government said it will provide aid to lung disease and lung cancer victims who cannot apply for workers' compensation.
It will also provide aid to the next of kin of those who died due to asbestos-related lung disease five or more years ago but cannot apply for compensation because the statute of limitations has run out.
The aid money will cover medical costs, funeral expenses and one-time payments to the next of kin.
The government hopes to submit a bill specifying who will be able to apply for aid to the Diet next year.
Asbestos-related illnesses can lurk for as long as 40 years before being detected, noted Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Hidehisa Otsuji.
"The fruits of this bill will become apparent 10 years from now," Otsuji said Friday.
The health ministry plans to completely ban asbestos use in 2008. The decision was made after recent revelations that use of the mineral may have caused the deaths of hundreds of workers at various companies over the past few decades.
The domestic use of asbestos is banned in principle, except in cases where there are no substitutes. Asbestos is therefore still used to make machinery gaskets, insulating plates for switchboards, seals for chemical plants and industrial rope.