Chinese 'comfort women' lose Japan case

A Japanese court has rejected a claim for compensation from two women from China who say they were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese army during the second world war.

The court said that there were no grounds in international or Japanese law under which individuals could claim compensation from the Japanese state.

Lawyers for the two women said they would appeal against the judgement.

One is a 75-year-old, the other died three years ago.

Historians say that as many as 200,000 'comfort women' as they were called - from China, Korea and the Philippines - were forced to work in Japanese army brothels during the war.

Japan has refused to pay direct compensation to them, saying that all claims were settled by the peace treaties that ended the war.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service