Photo/Illutration Plaintiffs and lawyers hold up a banner in front of the Yokohama District Court on Nov. 20. (Usen To)

YOKOHAMA--The district court here ordered the government to pay 5.9 billion yen ($38 million) in damages to residents around Atsugi air base near Tokyo for the jarring noise of jet engines that kept them up at nights.

However, it rejected a request by approximately 8,700 plaintiffs to halt nighttime and early morning flights by the Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military, as well as compensation for future noise pollution.

Presiding Judge Nobuhiro Okada at the Yokohama District Court ruled that aircraft noise levels of 75 decibels or higher on the Weighted Equivalent Continuous Perceived Noise Level, or WECPNL, constitutes a violation of the residents rights due to undisturbed sleep, among other issues.

This ruling aligns with precedents set in other noise-related lawsuits across Japan.

Despite repeated rulings ordering compensation in previous lawsuits, the court noted that no fundamental measures have been taken.

It ordered compensation for residents in areas where noise levels reach 75 decibels or higher.

Atsugi air base, straddling the densely populated cities of Ayase and Yamato in Kanagawa Prefecture, is jointly used by the SDF and the U.S. military.

The lawsuit is the fifth in a series over noise pollution issues at the base since 1976.

This latest case followed the relocation of the U.S. Navy’s carrier-based aircraft unit, considered the main source of excessive noise, to Iwakuni air base in Yamaguchi Prefecture, which was completed by the end of March 2018.

Based on monitoring data from around Atsugi air base, the court found that the relocation had in fact resulted in reduced noise levels. It ruled there was no liability for compensation during periods when noise levels fell below 75 decibels.

Okada acknowledged the high public interest in SDF flights, emphasizing their role in protecting citizens’ lives, safety and property.

As for U.S. military aircraft, the court dismissed a call by residents to halt operations, stating that no formal approval exists from the defense minister allowing the U.S. military to use Atsugi air base in the first place.

“This decision is extremely unjust,” said Shuji Onami, 78, leader of the plaintiffs’ group, at a news conference following the ruling. “It completely fails to understand the conditions we live under.”

Separately, residents around Iwakuni air base filed a lawsuit against the government in 2022, claiming that noise pollution had worsened.

(This article was written by Shuhei Nakajima and Miho Kato.)

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