After a legal battle lasting more than eight years, the Nagasaki District Court on Monday rejected a demand by prefectural residents that the government and others repay a combined ¥33.9 billion for what they claim is an illegal landfill project in Isahaya Bay.
The Nagasaki court's judgment contrasts with another ruling in June by the Saga District Court that favored claims by local fishermen and ordered the government to open the bay dike. Both prefectures border Isahaya Bay.
Presiding Judge Hideo Imanaka said the project is "legitimate" and "effective" as it "fulfills the requirements of economic effects."