High court upholds Chinese forced laborers' claim for damages

The Hiroshima High Court on July 9 supported five Chinese nationals and their bereaved families' claims for damages from being taken to Japan and forced into severe labor constructing a power plant in Hiroshima during WWII.

For the first time a high court ordered a company to pay compensation to Chinese forced laborers.

The presiding judge Suzuki Satoshi canceled the initial district court judgment denying the claim, and ordered Nishimatsu Construction to pay the 27.5 million yen demanded by the plaintiffs.

Nishimatsu Construction argued against the plaintiffs' right to claim on the ground that their rights against the company's obligations for safety precautions expired after 10 years.

The judge stated, "Forced labor constitutes a serious infringement on human rights. It seriously impairs justice if the court acquits the plaintiff from the obligation to pay compensation."

Out of the five Chinese laborers, three were injured in accidents or by other causes, and two died from the effects of the atomic bomb.

Nishimatsu Construction reportedly fed the Chinese slave workers poorly, placed them in unhealthy conditions and forced them to do heavy and dangerous work. (end)