Around the World: Japan

WWII labor case rejected

The Fukuoka High Court upheld yesterday the decision of the Nagasaki District Court to reject a damages suit filed by 10 Chinese plaintiffs seeking compensation for forced labor in Japan under harsh conditions during World War II (WWII), local media reported.

Despite acknowledging that the plaintiffs had suffered "extremely high" psychological and physical distress from forced transportation and labor, the high court turned down the appeal in line with a Supreme Court decision in April 2007 on the grounds that the plaintiffs lost their rights to war reparations under the Japan-China joint declaration issued in 1972.