SHUNAN, Yamaguchi -- A private high school teacher fired for not greeting his principal has won his job back after his employers offered him a settlement following their defeat in a labor court case.

The 48-year-old teacher whose name is being withheld is poised to accept the settlement after his job and back pay was offered by the Sakuragaoka High School and it should be formalized on April 16.

"I now feel at ease having caused some tough memories for my family for a long time," the teacher said. "It's my role in life to be in the classroom. I want to do my best to restore the public's trust in the school."

School officials were also pleased the litigation is over.

"We thought we should give him another chance," a school spokesman said. "We've got a new principal and thought it wasn't worth fighting over any more, so proposed a settlement."

In a petition the teacher filed with the district court, he said that while on traffic duty near the Sakuragaoka High School during September 2006 he failed to realize the principal drove past him. The school later admonished the teacher for failing to greet the principal and suspended him from work. About half a year later, school officials called him in for a meeting where he was asked if he would obey the principal's orders. When the teacher replied that he was not sure if he would be able to do so, the school ordered his suspension continue, but then fired him in July last year.

In September last year, the teacher filed a petition with a labor court against the operators of the school, saying the principal had abused his authority and he sought his job back. In March, the Yamaguchi District Court sided with the teacher and ordered he be reinstated. The school operators filed an objection to the decision and launched a full-scale lawsuit, but later proposed a settlement. The principal of the school stood down in March and is now the principal of a junior high school.

Labor courts started in April 2006, dealing exclusively with litigation related to employment matters, such as non-payment of wages and unfair dismissal cases. They are supposed to broker a ruling within three hearings in an effort to reduce the time it takes for cases to be heard. Rulings are handed down by a panel of a judge and labor and employment experts.

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