Japanese Court Rejects Wartime Damages Claim by Ex-Chinese Laborers

Osaka, Jan. 29 (Jiji Press)--A Japanese court on Tuesday rejected a damages claim against the government by a former Chinese laborer and 18 bereaved family members of such laborers for being forced to work in Japan under harsh conditions during World War II. The plaintiffs, who demanded apologies and 82.5 million yen in total damages, plan to file an appeal. Ryosuke Sakai, presiding judge at Osaka District Court, recognized the Japanese government's involvement in forcibly bringing Chinese people to Japan for work during the war. Chinese people, including the plaintiffs, were forcibly brought to Japan under the Japanese government's national policy and engaged in lengthy, arduous work, and many such laborers lost their lives, Sakai said. But he pointed to a 2007 Japanese Supreme Court ruling that the right of Chinese individuals to seek war-related damages was eliminated by the 1972 Japan-China joint statement. According to Tuesday's ruling, laborers were forcibly moved from China and were coerced to do heavy work such as river improvement at the Hanaoka mine in Akita Prefecture, northeastern Japan, and Osaka Port in western Japan between 1943 and 1945. The plaintiffs claimed that the Japanese government concealed these facts and neglected to redress the damage. They also argued that Japan's top court interpreted the Tokyo-Beijing statement erroneously. At a news conference, a 66-year-old plaintiff whose father was forcibly taken to the Hanaoka mine said that Tuesday's ruling was "very regrettable" and that he feels resentment against and dissatisfied with the court decision. He also voiced his intention to continue his legal battle over the forced labor issue. END