The government will propose that 30 billion yen be allocated in the fiscal 2005 supplementary budget to redress asbestos victims not eligible for workers compensation, sources said Wednesday.
The funds would cover people with asbestos-linked health problems who reside near factories that handled asbestos or live with employees of those factories, and the next of kin of those who have died under those circumstances, the sources said.
The government estimated that about 9,900 people who did not qualify for workers compensation have died of asbestos-induced diseases.
The government will formalize the supplementary budget plan at a Cabinet meeting that will be held by early December.
A family qualifying for deceased benefits would get between 1.6 million yen and 2.8 million yen as well as about 200,000 yen to cover funeral expenses. Someone receiving medical treatment would get a maximum of 100,000 yen.
The new benefits are part of a bill the government plans to submit to the Diet in early 2006 to redress asbestos victims and their families.
The supplementary budget would cover measures in the bill proposed for implementation by the end of fiscal 2006.
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