Japan court orders war payments

By Jonathan Head
BBC, Tokyo

A court in Japan has demanded that the government pay more than $800,000 to a group of Chinese people who were forced to work in Japan during World War II.

Japanese judges rarely spring surprises, but this afternoon in the Niigata District Court, Judge Noriyoshi Katano broke ranks with his colleagues and awarded compensation to the group of Chinese, who were forced to work in the city during WWII.

Protesters showed pictures of alleged Japanese wartime atrocities

It is the first time a court has ordered the government to pay compensation for abuses committed by Japan against people in other Asian countries during the war.

The plaintiffs - 10 survivors and two family members of workers who have since died - said they were taken to northern Japan in 1944 and forced to work at a port under harsh conditions.

The government has always refused claims for compensation, arguing they were settled in peace agreements signed with the countries it occupied.

Eleven other cases brought by victims of forced labour in different courts have been rejected over the past two years, with judges citing a 10-year statute of limitations for civil suits.

But Judge Katano argued that the 10-year time limit could not apply to what amounted to a serious violation of human rights.

Dozens of other compensation cases have been brought against the Japanese government for abuses during WWII. All have been rejected by the courts. The government insists all issues of compensation were resolved when it signed peace agreements with its Asian neighbours.

It has at times offered financial assistance to victims but does not want to admit liability for what Japanese forces did 60 years ago. The government is likely to appeal against this verdict and, given the past record of other judges, it will probably be successful.