Govt. Ordered To Pay Damages For Sdf Base Noise
A district court in southern Japan has ordered the central government to pay damages for noise from fighter jets at an Air Self-Defense Force base in Miyazaki Prefecture.
The Miyazaki District Court handed down the ruling on Monday in a lawsuit filed by 178 residents.
The residents sought a nighttime flight ban at the Nyutabaru Air Base, and compensation for past and future aircraft noise.
Presiding judge Odajima Yasuto ruled that noise from the base has disrupted the plaintiffs' sleep and daily lives, but not to the extent that it damaged their health.
Odajima did say the aircraft noise is beyond bearable levels, causing the residents to suffer mentally.
He ordered the government to pay a total of more than 123 million yen, or about 1.1 million dollars, to 172 of the plaintiffs for past damage. He rejected a demand from the remaining six, saying the aircraft noise they experienced was limited and not beyond bearable levels.
The judge rejected demands for compensation for future damage, saying it's not expected that the same level of noise will continue.
He also dismissed the plaintiffs' demand for banning nighttime flights, citing the SDF's measures to reduce noise.
The secretary general of the plaintiffs' defense counsel said they intend to appeal the ruling.
Nishida Ryuji told reporters that the ruling is unacceptable as it did not acknowledge disruption from nighttime and early morning aircraft noise and excluded some of the plaintiffs from compensation.
The Defense Ministry says the order for compensation means that the court did not accept its argument about past noise.
The ministry also says it will coordinate with concerned parties to decide what further action to take.