A package of bills aimed at providing financial support to people suffering from asbestos-linked diseases cleared the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
Approved at a Lower House plenary session, the bills include support for people who have lost family members to asbestos-related illness.
The bills are expected to clear the Diet with approval from the Upper House later this month.
They include strengthened measures to prevent similar problems in the future.
The government plans to start accepting applications for financial assistance in March. Under the package, the government will cover out-of-pocket medical expenses and rehabilitation costs for people suffering from asbestos-linked diseases, including mesothelioma -- a form of cancer -- and will provide funeral allowances for those who die from such diseases.
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