The Naha District Court on Thursday ordered the government to pay around ¥2.46 billion ($22.6 million) in damages to 3,395 residents due to aircraft noise from a key U.S. air base in Okinawa Prefecture, but rejected the plaintiffs' demand to halt flights there.
Presiding Judge Tetsuya Fujikura of the court's Okinawa branch recognized the emotional distress and negative health impact that aircraft noise has on residents around Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, saying it disrupted their sleep and daily lives. The plaintiffs had demanded about ¥10 billion in damages.
Fujikura said the government "has left the problem unaddressed" without taking effective measures, even though the noise from the base has been an issue since the 1970s.