A court ruled Wednesday that the government is responsible for failing to take sufficient measures to protect asbestos workers in Osaka from contracting asbestosis and lung cancer.
In a damages suit brought by 55 people that included former factory employees and their families, the Osaka District Court ordered the state to pay ¥180 million in damages to 50 of them.
A panel of three judges led by Judge Kenichi Ono also acknowledged a damages claim by the family of a former transport company employee whose job was to haul raw materials into the asbestos spinning mills, marking the first decision in favor of someone other than plant workers, lawyers representing the plaintiffs said.