Home>>China
Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, March 24, 2004

Chinese victims lose Hokaido laborer lawsuit

Japan's Sapporo local court ruled on a lawsuit March 23 lodged by Chinese victims accusing the Japanese government of forcing them into labor during the WWII.


PRINT DISCUSSION CHINESE SEND TO FRIEND



Japan turns down WWII labourers' pay
Japan's Sapporo local court ruled on a lawsuit March 23 lodged by Chinese victims accusing the Japanese government of forcing them into labor during the WWII. The court rejected the claim made by Chinese victim laborers and their families for a compensation of 860 million yen under the pretext that over twenty years have passed since the Japanese government improperly press-ganged these Chinese people into hard labor, as a result the Chinese victims have lost their right to claim indemnity.

Plaintiffs claiming compensation in Hokaido include a total of 70 laborers looted and their families. Defendants are six Japanese enterprises: Mitsui Mining Co., Ltd, Sumitomo Coal Mining Co., Ltd, Kumagai Gumid, Nippon Steel Corporation, Chizaki Industry and Mitsubishi Material.

About 40,000 Chinese labourers were forced to work in 135 workplaces for 35 corporations in Japan during the World War II. Many of them never returned to China.

In the last two years, some 12 lawsuits from Chinese labourers have been brought to Japanese courts. Regional courts in Japan have dismissed them saying too much time has elapsed.

Some courts have said forcible work claims can be dismissed after 10 years; meaning there is a statute of limitations on the workers' claims and it has expired. Others have said the time limit for the right to claim compensation for illegal actions is 20 years.

These declarations mean, in short, that according to Japanese laws, Chinese labourers have lost the rights to file lawsuits for actions that occurred during World War II, which happened in the 1940s and much more than 10 or 20 years ago, sources from the Beijing Fang Yuan Law Office explained.

Still, Japan's Niigata regional court will make a decision on Friday on another lawsuit lodged by 12 Chinese slave labourers. The 12 have demanded the Japanese Government compensate them to the tune of 2.75 million Japanese yen (US$25,701) for being forced to work in Japanese workplaces during World War II.

By People's Daily Online


Questions?Comments? Click here
    Advanced






First Compensation Case for Chinese in WWII Japanese Labor Camps Progressing Smoothly



 


Indian navy to have two aircraft carriers by 2011 ( 116 Messages)

What's the meaning of Bush & Blair nominated as candidates for Nobel Peace Prize? ( 112 Messages)

Study: Americans eating themselves to death ( 80 Messages)

Japanese PM's remark on shrine visit leads to long-term cold relations with China: Kyodo ( 136 Messages)

French Presidents' China complex ( 73 Messages)



Copyright by People's Daily Online, all rights reserved