Japanese Automakers Settle Pollution Suit
Companies have been routinely penalized for deceptive behavior regarding the safety of products like lead, asbestos and tobacco. The Japan Times reports on the latest public health menace to be challenged in courtrooms:
The Tokyo High Court proposed Friday that seven automakers pay 1.2 billion yen to hundreds of asthma patients to settle a decade-long court battle over air pollution caused by emissions from diesel-powered motor vehicles in Tokyo.
Presiding Judge Toshiaki Harada gave the plaintiffs and defendants until July 12 to decide whether to accept the court-proposed compromise plan. The amount of settlement money proposed by the high court compares with 500 million yen the automakers earlier offered to pay.
Yahoo News reports that automakers have agreed to Judge Harada's proposal. Perhaps this settlement will encourage car industries in countries outside Japan to address the health risks associated with their products:
The plaintiffs agreed to a court-mediated settlement to end an 11-year legal battle against seven automakers, which include industry giants Toyota, Honda and Nissan, and government bodies.
More than 520 Tokyo residents had filed the lawsuit, blaming diesel gas fumes for causing their asthma. The plaintiffs said about 110 people who were previously part of the lawsuit have already died of their illnesses.
Asthma patients have regularly held noisy protests outside the headquarters of Nissan and other automakers they accused of dragging their feet on the row.
Under the settlement, the automakers alone will pay 3.3 billion yen (28.6 million dollars) to underwrite a five-year health plan for the asthma patients. The automakers will also pay a one-time 1.2 billion yen to the plaintiffs.
Photo: Mil/Flickr
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog New York City
Why Sustainable Transportation Advocates Need to Talk About Long COVID
Covid-19 transformed many U.S. cities' approach to sustainable transportation forever. But how did it transform the lives of sustainable transportation advocates who developed lasting symptoms from the disease?
Analysis: ‘Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Program’ is a Failure By All Measures
The Department of Transportation wants the Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Program to simply expire in part because it did not dramatically improve safety among these worst-of-the-worst drivers and led to a tiny number of vehicle seizures.
School Bus Driver Kills Cyclist in Boro Park, 24th Bike Death of 2023
Luis Perez-Ramirez, 44, was biking south on Fort Hamilton Parkway just before 3:15 p.m. when he was struck a by school bus driver making a right turn.
‘Betrayal’: Adams Caves to Opposition, Abandons Bus Improvement Plan on Fordham Road
The capitulation on Fordham Road is the latest episode in which the mayor has delayed or watered down a transportation project in deference to powerful interests.
Friday’s Headlines: Yes He Said Yes He Will Yes Edition
That headline above is a reference to the last line of James Joyce's Ulysses, which we won't pretend to have read. But we have that ... and other news.
