The Kofu District Court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a group of residents of Yamanashi Prefecture, demanding that the Central Japan Railway halt construction of part of a magnetic levitation line running through the prefecture and pay them compensation pay for noise pollution, NHK reported.
The court on Tuesday dismissed the claims of residents of the prefecture’s Minami-Alpes town, whose homes and farmland are located near a planned overpass construction site, the court said. The NHK report does not state how many residents were involved in the lawsuit.
The court recognized that there is a “major public interest” in the project, adding that there is no illegality in it that would justify suspending construction.
The plaintiffs had sought an injunction against the construction, seeking ¥1 million ($6,400) per person, arguing that the value of their properties would decrease, their living environment would deteriorate and that they would suffer emotional distress during and after the construction of the viaduct would suffer.
JR Central welcomed the ruling, saying the court had made an appropriate decision, while the plaintiffs said they ignored the impact it would have on local residents, the report said.
