Japan court orders gov't to pay damages for air base noise

A Japanese court ordered the government on Monday to pay damages totaling 123 million yen ($1.1 million) to residents near an Air Self-Defense Force base in Miyazaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, determining that aircraft noise caused a nuisance to people's lives.But the Miyazaki District Court dismissed the plaintiffs' demand to halt nighttime and early morning flights at Nyutabaru Air Base, citing the need to operate SDF aircraft and acknowledging the government's efforts to alleviate noise through such measures as soundproofing nearby houses.The court ordered the government to pay dama…READ FULL ARTICLE