Kenichi Miyamoto Kenji Morinaga Hiroyuki Mori Editors. Asbestos Disaster. Lessons from Japan s Experience

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2 Asbestos Disaster

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4 Kenichi Miyamoto Kenji Morinaga Hiroyuki Mori Editors Asbestos Disaster Lessons from Japan s Experience

5 Editors Kenichi Miyamoto, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus Osaka City University Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku Osaka Japan and Shiga University Banba, Hikone Shiga Japan Kenji Morinaga, M.D., Ph.D. Advisory Medical Doctor Department of Asbestos Health Damage Relief Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency of Japan Myuza Kawasaki Central Tower 9F 1310 Omiya-cho, Saiwai-ku Kawasaki, Kanagawa Japan Hiroyuki Mori, Ph.D. Professor College of Policy Science Ritsumeikan University 56-1 Tojiin Kitamachi, Kita-ku Kyoto Japan ISBN e-isbn DOI / Springer Tokyo Dordrecht Heidelberg London New York Library of Congress Control Number: Springer 2011 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilm or in any other way, and storage in data banks. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (

6 Preface Although the asbestos disaster is not a recent phenomenon, comprehensive studies have not been developed with an interdisciplinary approach to elucidate the problem. Most asbestos studies have been conducted in medical science, but social science has not produced satisfactory investigations. Because asbestos issues as well as those in other kinds of pollution have been decisively influenced by social, economic, and political structures, the social sciences should contribute to studying them by integrating natural sciences. Even in social science, segmented specialties have hindered comprehensive understanding of asbestos issues. For example, although the asbestos disaster comprises both labor and environmental issues, they have been divided into economic and legal aspects. This book originated from the asbestos research project at Ritsumeikan University, based in Kyoto, beginning in The project has been a unique interdisciplinary study as it has incorporated medical science, economics, political science, law, architecture, and environmental engineering. The work focuses on asbestos issues in Japan as it relates each chapter to diverse sciences. This approach reflects an interdisciplinary perspective as well as a comprehensive understanding of Japan s asbestos problems, but it should be applicable to studies in other countries. Chapter 1 introduces a political economy approach to explore asbestos problems as a subject of social science and to investigate the methodology of interdisciplinary study of asbestos issues. Chapter 2 characterizes the asbestos disaster as a complex stock disaster that demands new scientific approaches, and it provides a comprehensive review of asbestos issues in Japan. Chapter 3, through a historical review of asbestos issues in Japan, discusses the factors in the spreading of asbestos, such as social application of medical knowledge, activities of governments and industries, economic advantages of asbestos products, and the knowledge gap among stakeholders. Chapter 4 describes asbestos-related diseases with historical data on the use of asbestos in Japan. Chapter 5 focuses on industrial asbestos pollution caused by the Kubota Corporation in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture. Chapter 6 explores the asbestos disaster in the Sennan District of Osaka on the basis of a historical analysis of political economy, and discusses the government s responsibility in the disaster. Chapter 7 describes the realities facing asbestos victims in these areas, with interviews of victims, and the dynamic processes v

7 vi Preface involving those victims and the supporting organizations, companies, national and local governments, lawyers, and others. Chapter 8 deals with the international aspects of the asbestos industry and disaster involving Japan and South Korea in a historical perspective. Chapter 9 focuses on delayed public policies in Japan with attention to the divisions of responsibility of, and actions taken by, various ministries and other governmental organizations. Chapter 10 traces the political process in legislation of the Act on Asbestos Health Damage Relief, primarily through an analysis of information provided by newspapers. Chapter 11 centers around asbestos used in construction and the problems in maintenance and demolition management, with accident data on construction workers suffering asbestos-related diseases. Chapter 12 explores countermeasures enacted by local governments against asbestos problems in construction and proposes an obligatory policy of cooperation between national and local governments. Chapter 13 comprehensively summarizes asbestos-related lawsuits and points out decisive legal aspects of the asbestos disaster in Japan from a broad perspective. Finally, Chapter 14 introduces the French asbestos compensation system FIVA as a complement to the relief measures and compensation systems existing in Japan. It is hoped that this volume will serve as a textbook on asbestos issues for all countries, especially where there is widespread use of asbestos. The lessons of asbestos problems and policies in Japan are particularly important for developing countries in Asia, Central and South America, and southern Africa. Knowledge about asbestos damage, its causes and the responsibility for it, compensation and relief systems, relief activities in emergencies, and future measures to be taken is imperative to prevent the proliferation of asbestos disasters in those regions. The studies reported in this book were subsidized with Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (title number: , ). Kenichi Miyamoto Kenji Morinaga Hiroyuki Mori Editors

8 1 A Political Economy of Asbestos Disasters... Hiroyuki Mori The Impact of Asbestos Disasters... A Social Scientific Perspective on Asbestos Disasters Complex-Stock Disasters The Issue of Responsibility for Asbestos Disasters An Economic Analysis of Occupational Safety and Health The Labor Economics Approach The Post-Keynesian Economics Approach The Institutional Economics Approach The Marxian Economics Approach Toward a Political Economy of Asbestos Disasters... Notes... References An Exploration of Measures Against Industrial Asbestos Accidents... Kenichi Miyamoto Industrial Asbestos Accidents and the Status of Current Countermeasures The Status of Asbestos Exposure and Relief Measures Epidemiological Studies (and Projections) Regulations and Follow-Up Countermeasures for Asbestos Businesses and Related Facilities The Asbestos Crisis and Modern Political and Economic Systems International Trends in Asbestos Use and Contamination The Asbestos Crisis as a Product of Flaws in Modern Socioeconomic Systems vii

9 viii 2.3 Responsibility for, and Relief from, Complex Stock Pollution Judicial Relief and Administrative Relief: Experiences at the Country Level Issues for Future Study... Notes... References Why did the Asbestos Disaster Spread?... Takehiko Murayama and Yuji Natori Introduction... Insufficient Application of Current Medical Knowledge of the Toxicity of Asbestos to Public Policies Prewar Postwar Commitments of Governments and Industries Prewar Postwar Cost of Asbestos Products Information Manipulation and Abuse of the Knowledge Gap Among Stakeholders... References Asbestos Pollution and Its Health Effects: Asbestos-Related Diseases in Japan... Kenji Morinaga and Yasushi Shinohara Introduction... Postwar Asbestos Use in Japan... Current Asbestos-Related Disease Trends Types of Asbestos-Related Diseases Pulmonary Asbestosis Lung Cancer Mesothelioma Benign Asbestos Pleurisy Workers Accident Insurance Compensation for Patients with Asbestos-Related Diseases Relief Measures for Mesothelioma and Asbestos-Induced Lung Cancer Patients Relief Benefits Special Benefit for Bereaved Families Concluding Remarks... References

10 5 Mesothelioma Due to Neighborhood Asbestos Exposure: A Large-Scale, Ongoing Disaster Among Residents Living Near a Former Kubota Plant in Amagasaki, Japan... Norio Kurumatani and Shinji Kumagai Introduction... The Beginning... Proposal for an Epidemiological Survey... Interim Developments... Results of Epidemiological Survey Confirmation of Asbestos Exposure and Underlying Cause of Death Subjects for Analysis Emitting Source of Crocidolite in the Study Area Risk of Mesothelioma Among the Residents Estimation of Asbestos Fiber Concentrations Concluding Remarks... References... 6 Asbestos Disasters and Public Policy: From the Prewar Era Through the Postwar Economic Boom... Hiroyuki Mori The Nexus of the Problem... A Shadow Player Behind the Development of Japan s Modern Industry The Dawn of the Asbestos Industry The Asbestos Industry and Wartime Economic Controls The Asbestos Industry and Postwar Reconstruction The Asbestos Industry and the Phase of Rapid Economic Growth Policy Conflicts Within the Government The Sennan District as a Center of the Japanese Asbestos Industry Asbestos Textile Products: Their Purpose and Role The Prestige of Sennan s Asbestos Textile Factories Asbestos Product Manufacturing Processes in Sennan and Public Regulations The Government and the Sennan District Conclusions... Notes... References... ix

11 x 7 Persistent Thorns: Responsibility for Asbestos Disasters Masafumi Kato Introduction... Kubota Asbestos Disaster The Impact of the Kubota Shock on Amagasaki Tears of Grief The Whistleblowers Inside the Factory Formal Apology Ambiguous Responsibility Circumstantial Evidence The First Lawsuit Against Kubota Sennan Asbestos Disaster Sennan, Osaka: The Birthplace of Japan s Asbestos Industry Asbestos Slum Damage Lawsuit Against the Government Why the Neglect? Beyond the Limits of Social Tolerance Further Issues Epidemiological Studies From Relief to Compensation... Reference Asbestos Industry Transplants from Japan to South Korea Shinjiro Minami Introduction... The History of South Korea s Asbestos Industry The Development of Asbestos Mining Operations in South Korea South Korean Asbestos Production, Consumption, and Industry Growth and Decline South Korea s Asbestos Industry and Factors Contributing to Growth in Domestic Demand The Advent of Asbestos Regulations in South Korea Asbestos Disasters and Japanese Corporate Operations in South Korea An Overview of Japanese Corporate Operations in South Korea Jeil Asbestos (Jeil Chemical) Dong Yang Asbestos Industry Union Asbestos

12 Asbestos Disasters in Japan and South Korea and the Exportation of Pollution The Exportation of Pollution and the Social Costs The Exportation of Asbestos Pollution to South Korea The International Proliferation of Asbestos Disasters... Notes... References... xi Inaction on Asbestos Disasters and Delayed Countermeasures Norio Obata 9.1 Introduction A Diversity of Causes and the Realities of Asbestos Contamination and Harm Government Inaction on the Asbestos Problem The Government Response to Date A Failed Legislative Drive The Uncoordinated Response of Government Agencies Efforts by the Government and Its Agencies A Less-than-Sweeping Precautionary Approach Inadequate Asbestos Management Rules and Standards From Occupational Illnesses (Workplace Disasters) to Industrial Pollution The Necessity of Systematic Standards Reflecting an Awareness of the Asbestos Lifecycle The Responsibilities of Large Companies The Act on Asbestos Health Damage Relief: Establishment and Selected Problems of Funding Obligations Closing Remarks... Notes... Reference Process Tracing of Asbestos Politics in Japan: Focus on Fiscal Years 2005 and Michiya Mori Introduction... Asbestos and the Political Context... The Repercussions of the Kubota Shock: July National Government Policies on Asbestos, Part 1: August National Government Policies on Asbestos, Part 2: September The Decision-making Process Over the Act on Asbestos Health Damage Relief: October 2005 to January

13 xii 10.7 Relief for Victims Enters a New Stage: February 2006 to March Concluding Remarks... Notes... References Future Challenges for Asbestos Policy in the Construction Industry Kazuhiko Ishihara 11.1 Introduction Asbestos Measures in the Construction Industry: Current Conditions and Challenges The Challenge for Measures Against Stock Asbestos in Buildings Problems Associated with Maintenance Problems Posed by Stock Asbestos When Buildings are Demolished Problems Posed by Removal Methods for Sprayed Asbestos Coatings Challenges for Measures Against Asbestos-Related Diseases in Construction Industry Workers The Incidence of Asbestos-Related Diseases Among Tokyo Doken Union Members Problems with Workers Accident Compensation Eligibility and Compensation Amounts for Patients with Asbestos-Related Diseases Construction-Related Asbestos Litigation in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area In Lieu of a Conclusion... Notes... Reference Local Government Measures Against Asbestos: Tokyo Metropolitan and Osaka Prefectural Governments as Case Studies Kazuhisa Hiraoka 12.1 Introduction The Local Government Role in the Asbestos Policy Arena and the Status of Current Efforts Environmental and Disaster Policy Doctrine and Local Government Measures Regarding Asbestos An Overview of Local Government Measures Against Asbestos

14 12.3 Tokyo Metropolis Measures Against Asbestos Tokyo Metropolitan Government Measures Nerima City Measures Osaka Prefecture Measures Against Asbestos Asbestos Pollution Countermeasures in Osaka Prefecture to the End of the 1970s Asbestos Pollution Countermeasures in Osaka Prefecture from the 1980s Closing Remarks... Notes... References Asbestos Litigation in Japan: Recent Trends and Related Issues Katsumi Matsumoto 13.1 Introduction A Comparative Review of Asbestos Litigation in Japan and the US US Trends Features of Asbestos Litigation in Japan Theoretical Issues for Asbestos Litigation in Japan Causal Relationships Predictability Prescription National Government Liability and the Product Liability of Asbestos Companies Conclusions... Notes... References xiii The French Indemnification Fund for Asbestos Victims: Features and Formative Historical Factors: Preliminary Observations for a Comparative Analysis of Asbestos Relief Frameworks Gakuto Takamura 14.1 Introduction Historical Factors Delayed Restrictions on Asbestos Use Principles of the Workers Accident Compensation Law of The FIVA Challenge The FIVA Framework

15 xiv 14.4 Compensation Specifics Current Issues Concluding Remarks... Notes... References Index