The government revealed Tuesday that thousands of buildings nationwide, including public facilities, pose asbestos exposure risks while unveiling a draft bill to pay 27 billion yen in compensation to the people affected.
Although the bill, which will be submitted to the Diet early next year, includes no specific benefit or compensation sums at present, it aims to provide medical-care benefits to people suffering asbestos-linked health problems but are not covered by industrial accident insurance, and compensate the next of kin of people who died from such maladies.
The government has been considering providing a one-time payment of 2.6 million yen in compensation to each surviving family who will not fall under the law when it takes effect because their relatives died before its enactment. New Komeito, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's coalition partner, wants to raise the amount of compensation and other benefits.
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