Kadena noise lawsuit hearings conclude

[unhappycamper]

Kadena noise lawsuit hearings conclude
By Chiyomi Sumida, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Friday, October 3, 2008

NAHA, Okinawa — The hearings in a lawsuit against the Japanese government over aircraft noise from Kadena Air Base concluded Wednesday in Fukuoka High Court, with a ruling expected in February.

Before the litigation proceedings finally came to an end, six residents made their final pleas to the court to ban flight activities during evening and early morning hours on the U.S. base.

The suit began in March 2000, when 5,542 residents living in communities surrounding Kadena sued the Japanese government, seeking the halt of all flight operations between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. and $59.5 million in compensation for physical and mental suffering.

In February 2005, the Naha District Court awarded $26.7 million to 3,881 residents. However, it dismissed the claim from 1,661 residents, ruling that their neighborhood noise levels were within permissible limits. The ruling also dismissed residents’ demands to suspend late-night and early morning flight activities, saying the Japanese government has no control over U.S. military operations at the air base.

Residents and the government immediately appealed to the high court.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=57842