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Legal aid for WWII laborer suing Japanese company
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-04-03 09:52 A 76-year-old farmer from Hebei Province, who was
forced to work as a slave in Japan during WWII, will get free legal aid to help
him sue a Japanese company in a Chinese court, according to sources with a
non-government organization devoted who assist these war victims.
Several lawyers and their firms have agreed to offer legal assistance to
former Chinese World War II laborers including Tian Chunsheng.
This is first time lawyers have tried to seek redress in China rather than
courts in Japan, said Tong Zeng, who is director of the group who assist
victims.
Tian was forced to work in Japanese mines along with his father. On the way
to Japan and during his time there he and others were tortured and his father
died, according to Tian. At the end of 1945 Tian was released and returned to
China.
"More and more Chinese WWII victims are aware of their rights nowadays since
the federation began to claim compensation from relevant Japanese bodies in
1990," Tong said.
"But most of the compensation claims have been rejected by the Japanese
courts," Tong said, explaining why victims like Tian had now chosen to file
lawsuits in China.
Several other of WWII victims and their relatives have also contacted the
federation about using Chinese courts to claim compensation from Japanese
companies and government.
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