Residents, gov't strike deal on pollution suit

OSAKA, Japan - Mitsuko Matsu (L), leader of plaintiffs in an air pollution suit in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, shakes hands with chief lawyer Hideo Nakao outside the Osaka High Court on Dec. 8. The plaintiffs reached an official settlement with the central government to end a 12-year battle over air pollution from vehicle exhaust emissions. The government and the state-run Hanshin Expressway Public Corp. promised to take steps to restrict traffic along National Highway 43 and the Kobe sector of the Hanshin Expressway.