| A
class action suit brought against 10 Japanese companies
by over 260 people was settled Monday for about
1.52 billion yen (just under $12.5 USD).
The
settlement ends a 12-year court battle over air pollution
due to factory smoke and vehicle exhaust in Nagoya,
a large industrial town in central Japan. Included
in the settlement was a pledge from the Japanese
central government to implement more stringent air
pollution measures.
The announcement of the settlement came from
the lawyer's representing the plaintiffs. It
ends the last major lawsuit over health problems
caused by air pollution in Japan.
The plaintiffs originally sued in three groups,
seeking a total of 8.2 billion yen (just over
$67 million USD). Government doctors officially
recognized all 260 plaintiffs as suffering
from pollution-related diseases.
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