The Japanese Government and a private firm that forced a group
of Chinese citizens to work during World War II will pay 8 million
Japanese yen (US$75,400) in compensation for each of the 12 Chinese
laborers, Japan's Niigata District Court announced in a landmark
ruling on Thursday.
This is the first time a Japanese court has laid blame on the
government for its role in the kidnapping of tens of thousands of
Chinese, Koreans and people from other Asian countries forced to
work in Japan, Xinhua reported on Friday. About 40,000 Chinese
laborers were forced to work in 135 workplaces for 35 corporations
in Japan during World War II.
The 10 Chinese laborers and relatives of two deceased workers
lodged the lawsuit, demanding the government and Rinko Corp pay 270
million yen (US$2.54 million) in compensation.
Before the court handed down its verdict, the Japanese
Government and the firm had said that according to Japanese laws,
Chinese laborers had lost their right to file lawsuits since too
much time had elapsed. But the court ruled these actions were
illegal and that the government and the company compensate the
victims.
The 12 Chinese laborers were forcibly taken to Japan in 1944 to
work at a port in Niigata and were forced to carry coal and
undertake other hard labor, were subjected to abuse and received no
payment.
(China Daily March 27, 2004)