A total of 20,166 residents in Hainan, an island province in south China, have signed a petition in support of comfort women who have launched a lawsuit in Japan.

Chen Jinyu, 79, tells of her four-year painful experience as a comfort woman during World War II on September 18 last year at a Shanghai international symposium about Japanese invasion into Asia. Chen was forced into sex slavery in 1941 when she was 16 years old. [newsphoto]

The suit, which was first launched in Japan in late 2001, is scheduled to re-open on Wednesday. Chen Yabian, a 79-year-old native of Lingshui, Hainan, is one of the plaintiffs.

Chen went to Japan and appeared in Tokyo District Court of Japan to testify in a separate trial concerning redress for "comfort women" on March 8.

The Japanese troops set up several "comfort houses" in Hainan during their occupation in World War II. About 20 "comfort women" are still alive in China. Two of them, Lin Yajin and Huang Youniang, have sought justice in a Japanese court in 2001 and 2005 respectively.

At the age of 15, Chen was forcibly drafted into sexual slavery for the Japanese army.

A nine-day signature-soliciting campaign was organized before Chen's trip. Chen is seeking compensation, including an open apology from the Japanese government. Chen was forced to provide sex to the Japanese military servicemen during their occupation of Hainan during World War II, said sources from Hainan Attorneys Association, one of the organizers for the campaign.

The sheet bearing the signature of the 20,166 supporters has been sent to counsels for the defence in Japan, according to the same sources.