A team from the coalition government is studying a plan to offer old-age pension benefits to war-displaced Japanese who have come from China to Japan for resettlement, according to coalition sources.

A number of lawsuits have been filed to seek redress from the state by those who have resettled in Japan. They say the government has failed to provide sufficient support.

The plan by the team of lawmakers from the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito envisions a monthly payment of 130,000 yen per person starting the month after they turn 60 years of age and 50,000 yen more if they have a spouse, the sources said.

It also would provide around 70 percent of the same payment to spouses of deceased war-displaced Japanese who had come to Japan.

The drafted plan notes that many of the war-displaced came to Japan late in their lives and have had shorter periods to pay into public pension plans.

Benefits would be denied or reduced for at a certain level of income or receiving benefits from public pension plans, according to the plan.

Eligible for the proposed benefits would be those who came to Japan in and after 1972, the year Japan and China normalized their diplomatic relations, and who were above 30 years of age when they came to Japan. Also eligible would be those who individually came to Japan and were already at least 35, after mass repatriation programs were terminated in 1958.

About 60 percent of those who have resettled in Japan are on welfare. They are having difficulty earning a living due in part to language barriers and advanced age. They also face cuts in welfare benefits if they travel overseas, including visits to China to see their foster parents.