Japan says no to compensation for WWII slave labourer

Liu Lianren, of Shangdong Providence, lived as a fugitive in the mountains for 13 years after escaping from a Hokkaido coal mine near the end of World War II, reports The Japan Times. He was unaware the war had ended. In July 2001, the Tokyo District Court ordered the state to pay compensation, recognising that the Japanese Government had neglected its responsibility to protect the rights of Liu. But, presiding Judge Yoshiaki Nishida ruled that although the government had neglected its duty to find and protect Liu after he had fled the mine, the state bore no responsibility in terms of paying damages because there was no mutual assurance between China and Japan to pay state compensation at the time Liu was found. Full report in The Japan Times