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An 80-year-old Chinese woman, who was used as a sex slave for Japanese soldiers during World War II, left the capital of south China's Hainan Province Thursday to serve as a witness in a Tokyo court.
The Tokyo local judicatory scheduled to announce the verdict on Lin's case on March 17.
Lin is a native of Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous County. Beginning in 1943, the Japanese troops used her as a "comfort woman," but she escaped to home in 1946. Lin married in 1951 but never could have children because of her ordeal. She and her husband adopted a son and a daughter.
"I'm so content that I can live to serve as a witness at Japanese court, even if I will die," said Lin.
Lin and other Hainan women were only between 14 and 18 years old when they were used as sex slaves.
According to a local official, the Japanese troops set up several "comfort houses" in Hainan during their occupation. Twenty "comfort women" are still alive in China today.
Lin Yajin sued the Japanese government in 2001, demanding a public apology and compensation. She is the second plaintiff of the group to appear in a Japanese court to defend their rights and interests.
Huang Youniang was the first to appear as a witness in a Japanese court in November 2001.
Japanese courts have rejected a number of lawsuits brought by the Chinese women and the Japanese government refuses to provide official compensation.
But the All-China Lawyers' Association, the All-China Women's Federation, and the China Foundation for Human Rights Development backed the women and promised to help protect their legal rights and interests.
Chinese lawyers have been helping Lin and some other former "comfort women" to obtain notarized documents to be used as evidence.
"The number accounts for less than one-third of the 'comfort women' in China and most have never come forward," said Su Zhiliang with the China Center for Studying the Issue of Sex Slaves during World War II, based in Shanghai.
"The 'sex slaves' are living evidence, they and their experiences of ordeal and humiliation should be protected by law," Su said.
"People in China will never accept the denial by Japanese courts," Su said.
The Japanese used more than 200,000 young women from Indonesia, Korea, China, the Philippines and other Asian countries as sex slaves in World War II.
(Xinhua News Agency March 12, 2005)
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