A court ruling ordering the government to compensate former coal miners for pneumoconiosis is expected to be upheld April 27 because the Supreme Court decided Monday to hand down its ruling then without holding any hearings.

The top court is expected to reject an appeal by the government and Nittetsu Mining Co. and bring an end to the 19-year lawsuit filed by former miners and relatives of deceased miners, marking the state's first defeat in such suits will stand.

The miners had worked at coal mines in the Chikuho region of Fukuoka Prefecture.

It is widely believed that next week's ruling will influence a similar suit being heard in Hokkaido. It is also likely to pressure the government to devise fundamental relief measures for those suffering from the illness.

The Fukuoka High Court ruled in July 2001 for the first time that the state was responsible for failing to take measures to prevent workers from contracting the chronic lung disease caused by long-term inhalation of mineral or metallic dust. It ordered the government, Nittetsu, Mitsui Mining Co. and Mitsui Coal Mining Co. to pay a total of 1.91 billion yen in compensation.

Mitsui Mining and Mitsui Coal Mining reached settlements with the plaintiffs in August 2002. The high court criticized the government for failing to exercise its authority to supervise companies in which employees contracted the illness. The high court ruling overturned a 1995 ruling by the Fukuoka District Court that acquitted the state of responsibility, but ordered the three companies and three other firms involved to pay a total of 5.5 billion yen in compensation.