Two damages appeals filed by Chinese, one seeking compensation
over germ warfare during World War II and the other over the 1937
Nanjing Massacre, were both dismissed by the Japanese Supreme Court
on Wednesday.
The final judgments upheld earlier decisions by the Tokyo
District Court and the Tokyo High Court, which acknowledged the
suffering of the total of 198 plaintiffs or their bereaved family
members, however rejected their demand for war reparations from
Japan.
The plaintiffs and their bereaved family members had been
seeking a total of 1.9 billion yen (about US$16 million) in
compensation from the Japanese government.
The top court said the ruling was based on a postwar Japan-China
joint statement which "gave up Chinese individuals' judicial right
to demand compensation."
In late April, the Japanese Supreme Court dismissed a wartime
forced labor damages suits and a "comfort women" damages suit filed
both by Chinese victims, citing the same reason.
(Xinhua News agency May 10, 2007)
