Plaintiffs at a media conference in Nagano Prefecture on March 10

The plaintiffs had demanded that the state and four construction companies -- Kajima Corp., Kumagai Gumi Co., Taisei Corp. and Tobishima Corp. -- pay a combined ¥140 million in compensation.

Presiding Judge Jiro Tsuji acknowledged that the state and companies acted illegally. But he rejected the suit on the grounds that the plaintiffs no longer had a right to claim compensation because more than 20 years had passed since the acts took place. He also sided with the defendants' claim that compensation demands cannot be supported for actions taken before the 1947 National Redress Law went into force.

But in a rare move, the judge expressed his personal feelings on the case.

"Those in the generation before us did a terrible thing," he said. "As a human being, I felt the need to provide redress, but (rejecting the lawsuit) cannot be helped if there is no logic that can overturn past precedent (in such cases).

"I hope that this issue can be resolved through means other than a lawsuit."

The Japan Times Weekly: March 18, 2006
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