Japanese court throws out forced labour case

Tokyo’s High Court today threw out a lawsuit by a group of Chinese who sought compensation from the Japanese government and 10 companies for allegedly using them as slave labourers during World War II.

The court dismissed the claims and ordered the defence to pay all legal fees.

A court official, announcing the ruling, said she could not elaborate on the ruling.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of 42 elderly Chinese, only about half of whom are still alive.

The Chinese say they were captured by the Japanese military between 1944 and 1945 and sent to work under dangerous conditions, mostly in Japan’s construction and mining industries. They had sued for a total of 847.5 million yen (€6.26m) in damages.

Tokyo has generally refused to pay damages to individuals, saying the issue was settled on a government-to-government basis in post-war treaties.

That stance has drawn criticism at home and abroad that it remains unrepentant for its wartime wrongs.