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ACLA on Japanese Verdict of Forced Labor Case
A verdict on the forced-labor case made by the Tokyo District Court earlier this month is significant to many other on-going Chinese forced-labor compensation lawsuits in Japan, the All-Chinese Lawyers Association (ACLA) said in an announcement Friday.
But the court ruling does not recognize the responsibility of the Japanese Government for war during World War II, it said, adding that this is regretful.
Liu Lianren, the litigant, was forcibly brought to Japan in 1944 to work in a Hokkaido mine as a slave laborer. Liu ran away in 1945 and hid in a mountainous area for 13 years because of the inhumane abuse he suffered, the court said in its verdict on July 12.
The ACLA was pleased with the court judgment that the forced laborers' suffering should be compensated after World War II, which contradicted the Japanese government who refused Liu's appeal using the excuse of statutory limitation.
The ACLA said that such a court ruling is significant to the many other on-going forced-labor compensation lawsuits brought by Chinese victims.
But the association also expressed regret that the judgment does not clearly recognize the Japanese Government's responsibility for war.
The judgment only says the Japanese Government must answer for the failure to help Liu during his period of hiding, and mentions implicitly that the cause of Liu's suffering was the Japanese Government's forced labor policy during the war, the ACLA said.
The announcement said that the Japanese government should sincerely accept the judgment, and conscientiously deal with Chinese victims' reasonable demand for compensation.
Meanwhile it expressed gratitude to the Chinese as well as Japanese lawyers and friends who offered support and aid for Liu's lawsuit and other war-compensation cases.
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