Members of the plaintiffs protest at the Tokyo High Court on Dec. 14.

Surviving victims of the Chongqing Bombing have appealed a Japanese court’s ruling to the Supreme Court of Japan after their right to seek damages was refused, China Youth Online reported.

In the ruling, the Tokyo High Court said it would maintain the verdict of a lower court in 2015, which acknowledged damages caused by the air attacks but refused to recognize the plaintiffs’ right to seek damages.

Some victims chose to protest the ruling, saying they would not give up their appeal until it is recognized and properly handled by the highest court of Japan.

A Japanese lawyer on behalf of the plaintiffs disclosed that procedures of the lawsuit finished as of Dec.15.

According to data, between 1938 and 1943, Japanese warplanes bombed Chongqing, then China's provisional capital, and nearby cities, killing 11,889 people and injuring more than 14,100.

Su Yuankui, 84, head of the plaintiff delegation, who lost his two elder sisters in a bombing attack in 1941, said he was indignant at the ruling. Su joined the protests in Japan, demanding his due compensation and an apology from the Japanese government.

The old man also said he will put in more efforts to establish a Chongqing Bombing association responsible for publicizing more facts about the Bombing and the cruelty of war.

For some of the victims, the recognition is already a long-awaited victory, said Wang Yonggang, a Chongqing Bombing victim who returned from Japan on Dec. 16.

Wang said he will work with a movie company to make a TV series themed on the Chongqing Bombing, and he also plans to build a memorial for the Chongqing Bombing victims.

In 2006, some 188 Chongqing Bombing victims filed a group lawsuit against the Japanese government with the Tokyo District Court, demanding an apology and compensation.

Representatives of the group made 32 visits from Chongqing to Japan during that time. In 2015, the court made a ruling, acknowledging damages caused by the air raids, but rejecting the plaintiffs’ demands.