JAPAN, ASBESTOS VICTIMS AGREE ON SETTLEMENT

The Japanese government and plaintiffs in lawsuits over damages caused by asbestos agreed Tuesday on a settlement after the Supreme Court held the state liable for lung cancer and other illnesses contracted by construction workers exposed to the material.

The plaintiffs signed an agreement with health minister Norihisa Tamura after Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga offered an apology in a meeting with them and their lawyers in four suits on which the top court ruled the previous day, Kyodo News reported.

The ruling said the state was negligent in its duty to protect construction workers from contracting the diseases. The government will pay compensation ranging from 5.5 million yen ($50,000) to 13 million yen to each victim exposed to asbestos, according to the accord.

On top of the compensation, the government will pay a total of 3 billion yen to the plaintiffs to make up for the lengthy court proceedings.

The agreement also creates a system to provide the same level of compensation to victims who have not filed lawsuits.

Upon signing the accord in the evening, Tamura told the plaintiffs, "I would like to offer my heartfelt apology to the victims and their family members who have suffered so much over the years."

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