Beijing, Sept. 16 (Jiji Press)–Fifty relatives of former Chinese wartime laborers raised a lawsuit against six Japanese companies in China on Wednesday, seeking about 8.5 million yen per person in damages. The lawsuit, filed with a high court in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, also demands that the companies, including general contractor Kajima Corp. and Nittetsu Mining Co., publish apologies in at least 10 major Japanese and Chinese media outlets. The plaintiffs claim that forced labor caused tremendous hardship to the workers themselves, as well as permanent mental suffering to the bereaved families. The high court is expected to carefully consider whether to accept the complaint. Chinese courts often refuse to accept complaints. The Japanese government maintains that the alleged forced labor of Chinese nationals was resolved by the 1972 Japan-China joint statement, in which China renounced its war-related compensation claims. At a press conference on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that the Chinese side will urge Japan to face up to history and take seriously the demands of the people of Asian victim countries. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
