A worker at the USA Navy base in Yokosuka has filed a damages lawsuit against the Japanese Government over a forklift injury he suffered at work in 1999.

Mikio Ishikawa, 45, is seeking JPY43 million (USD353,880) in damages after cutting three fingers on his left hand and fracturing four fingers on his right hand after using wire to replace parts on a forklift in April 1999.

A Japan Times report said Mr Ishikawa, who has worked at the base since 1978, claimed the US military did not pay sufficient attention to safety, and that the government should compensate him for the accident.

The government is defending the allegations, arguing that Mr Ishikawa's own carelessness caused the injury.