LINE

    Text:AAAPrint
    Society

    Chinese WWII forced laborers sue Japan's Kajima Corporation

    1
    2016-12-07 10:33:35Global Times Li Yan ECNS App Download

    Chinese laborers who were kidnapped and forced into slavery during World War II are filing a new lawsuit against major Japanese construction firm the Kajima Corporation amid strained relations between the two countries.

    Lawyers representing one surviving Chinese laborer and 26 family members of four deceased laborers filed the lawsuit at the Third Intermediate People's Court in Beijing on Tuesday.

    The victims' group demands a public apology from the Kajima Corporation be published in major Chinese and Japanese newspapers in two languages, and 1 million yuan ($150,000) in compensation for each forced laborer.

    Guo Shusheng, 92, is the only surviving Chinese laborer involved in the case.

    "We are still looking for other plaintiffs in central and northern China to add to the list. As time goes by, our search for surviving laborers becomes more difficult," Zou Qianglun, one of the lawyers for the victims' group, told the Global Times.

    Ma Bao'en, 58, son of a deceased forced laborer Ma Haisheng, said his father insisted his children carry on with the lawsuit when he passed away.

    "He wanted Kajima to admit to its crimes and apologize," Ma told the Global Times.

    Kajima's wartime predecessor, Kajima-gumi, forced 1,888 Chinese laborers to work as slaves between May 1944 and May 1945, 539 of whom were tortured to death, according to a statement released by the lawyers.

    The average death rate of laborers in Kajima-gumi's five work camps reached 28.5 percent and the death rate at its Hanoka camp in Odate, Japan's Akita Prefecture, where an uprising against cruel working conditions and torture took place in June, 1945, reached 42.4 percent, according to the statement.

    In 1995 a Chinese victims' group led by then 81-year-old former laborer Geng Zhun sued Kajima.

    In 2000, Kajima agreed to set up a 500 million yen ($4.3 million) fund to compensate the victims from its Hanoka labor camp. But some laborers, including Geng, who passed away in 2012, refused to accept the compensation, saying that Kajima failed to admit to its wartime atrocities.

    "Plaintiffs of the previous case came from the Hanoka labor camp whereas the laborers in our case first worked in Kajima-gumi's Ontake camp and were later transferred to its Yabutsuka camp," Kang Jian, the lead attorney of the victims' group, told the Global Times.

    Kang said that half of the Chinese laborers refused to accept money from Kajima's fund.

    "We have made it very clear in our indictment that the victims demand Kajima Corporation to admit to its collusion with the imperial Japanese government in WWII in abducting and enslaving Chinese laborers and apologize," Kang said.

      

    Related news

    MorePhoto

    Most popular in 24h

    MoreTop news

    MoreVideo

    News
    Politics
    Business
    Society
    Culture
    Military
    Sci-tech
    Entertainment
    Sports
    Odd
    Features
    Biz
    Economy
    Travel
    Travel News
    Travel Types
    Events
    Food
    Hotel
    Bar & Club
    Architecture
    Gallery
    Photo
    CNS Photo
    Video
    Video
    Learning Chinese
    Learn About China
    Social Chinese
    Business Chinese
    Buzz Words
    Bilingual
    Resources
    ECNS Wire
    Special Coverage
    Infographics
    Voices
    LINE
    Back to top Links | About Us | Jobs | Contact Us | Privacy Policy
    Copyright ?1999-2018 Chinanews.com. All rights reserved.
    Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
    主站蜘蛛池模板: 建瓯市| 乃东县| 长寿区| 阿瓦提县| 页游| 宿松县| 固原市| 乌海市| 竹山县| 樟树市| 濮阳县| 平原县| 邹城市| 普格县| 井研县| 临清市| 沙湾县| 越西县| 镇江市| 刚察县| 临夏市| 乐山市| 乡宁县| 朔州市| 疏附县| 潞城市| 东丽区| 瑞昌市| 佛学| 宝丰县| 曲水县| 辉南县| 定陶县| 满城县| 呼和浩特市| 高陵县| 青海省| 湘西| 黔东| 隆林| 化隆|