A district court on Wednesday ordered the government to pay damages to residents around the U.S. Yokota Air Base in the suburbs of Tokyo over aircraft noise while dismissing the plaintiffs' calls to halt some flights.
The Tachikawa branch of the Tokyo District Court ordered the government to pay a total of about ¥610 million ($5.4 million) for past noise in the suit filed by around 1,000 residents who live near the base shared by Japan's Air Self-Defense Force. The ruling, however, rejected the demand for a halt to nighttime and early morning flights of U.S. and SDF aircraft.
The residents had sought a monthly payment of ¥22,000 for noise damage, including compensation for suffering that will continue for as long as planes fly from the base.