Japan court rejects war sex slave suit
Japans Supreme Court has rejected a damages lawsuit against the government brought by Korean war time sex slaves and former Korean soldiers forced to serve the Imperial Japanese Army during the war.
The Japan Times reports the ruling was handed down in only two minutes, and plaintiffs shouted their dissatisfaction with the decision. The ruling puts an end to a 13-year legal battle by the 35 plaintiffs, including relatives of victims who have died, who were seeking 20 million yen each in compensation from the government for their suffering. Presiding Justice Osamu Tsuno, of the Supreme Court, said: Compensation for damages caused by Japan during war is not envisioned under the postwar Constitution.
Full report in The Japan Times
The same court has also rejected an appeal filed by the families of Korean victims of a ship explosion in 1945 that killed hundreds of Korean slave labourers returning from Japan after World War II. The Japan Times says that the ruling preserves a May 2003 High Court ruling that rejected their demand for compensation and an apology from the Japanese Government. A total of 80 South Koreans had been seeking an official apology and about 2.8bn yen in compensation over the sinking of the Ukishima Maru.
Full report in The Japan Times