After two decades of court battles, residents of Osaka's Nishi-Yodogawa Ward suffering from air pollution came to a legal compromise with the national government and the Hanshin Expressway Public Corp. Wednesday. With the arbitration of the Osaka High Court, the national government promised to remove traffic lanes from Route 2 and Route 43; in return, the residents will relinquish claims to 66 million yen in compensation awarded by the Osaka District Court in 1995. The compromise was a landmark in the nation's legal history because it was the first time the national government has admitted responsibility for air pollution.