Japan gov't ordered to pay damages for noise at U.S. Yokota air base

A Japanese court ordered the government on Friday to pay damages to residents near the U.S. Yokota Air Base in the suburbs of Tokyo over past aircraft noise but dismissed the plaintiff's demand for a halt to future flights or compensation for future noise.The Tachikawa branch of the Tokyo District Court ordered the government to pay a total of around 95.6 million yen ($844,000) to 144 residents around the Yokota base who filed the damages suit. The U.S. base is shared by Japan's Air Self-Defense Force.The plaintiffs, who had sought the suspension of nighttime and early morning flights by bo…READ FULL ARTICLE