Japanese court awards compensation to former military base employee

A district court has awarded 76 million yen (approx. 800,000 dollars) to the family of a former US naval base employee who died of lung cancer after being exposed to asbestos.

Hitoshi Taimi worked at the United States naval base in Yokosuka for 18 years and during that time he was exposed to asbestos while performing work on air conditioning and ventilation systems.

In April 2006, 11 years after he last worked on the base, Taimi was diagnosed with lung cancer and proceeded to file a lawsuit the next year. Sadly he passed away 10 days later at age 51.

Two years later a district court ruled that the Japanese government was liable for his death because it manages the hiring of base workers and knew about the dangers of asbestos exposure but failed to take appropriate safety measures.

Japan's defense ministry has not indicated whether it plans to appeal the verdict but if the decision stands, it will set an interesting precedent for future lawsuits.

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