Families of Chinese workers who say they were forced to work in Japan during the war have filed a complaint with a court in Hebei Province, seeking an apology and compensation from 6 Japanese companies.
With the support of an organisation assisting the families, 50 family members of Chinese workers who claim they were forcibly brought to Japan to work for Japanese companies during the war prepared a complaint and filed it with a court in Hebei Province. The claim includes approximately ¥8.5 million in damages per family member and an apology advertisement.
The defendants named in the complaint are 6 Japanese companies, including Taisei Corporation and IHI. The plaintiffs are seeking compensation for the suffering caused by forced labour and the families’ emotional distress. It is currently unclear whether the complaint has been formally accepted, and the decision on whether to accept it remains pending.
Regarding the Japanese side’s position, IHI told NNN in response to an inquiry that it could not comment because it had not received the complaint. In 2007, the Supreme Court ruled that individual claims had been waived under the Japan-China Joint Communiqué in relation to postwar compensation issues.
The development has been reported as part of an effort by the families to seek compensation through legal action, while taking into account the status of the resolution of past compensation issues.