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Elderly World War II Comfort Women Lose Suit in
Japan
Two of the nine senior women died before the case
ended
Feb. 26, 2005 Nine elderly women sued for
compensation from Japan for being forced to become sex slaves, often
referred to as comfort women, for Japanese soldiers during World War
II, but only seven of them lived long enough to hear the Supreme Court
deny their claims on Friday.
These women were among some 20,000 Taiwanese women
forced to work in the military brothels. The total number of women
forced into sex slavery by the Japanese is estimated to be over 200,000.
Besides Taiwan, many other comfort women came from Korea, China,
Indonesia and the Philippines.
In court documents, the women said they were
promised jobs by the Japanese Imperial Army but were then forced to
provide sex.
They were asking for compensation of $95,000 each
in damages and an apology from the government of Japan.
The Japanese Supreme Court upheld a ruling by a
lower court refusing these demands. Last year, the Tokyo High Court
rejected the groups suit saying compensation issues arising from World
War II were settled by international and bilateral treaties after the
end of the war. A Tokyo District Court handed down the original ruling
in 2002.
The Japanese government has refused to compensate
sex slaves and forced laborers from World War II, saying a 20-year
period for suits had expired and that treaties provided for reparations
to states, not individuals.
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