War reparations activists on the mainland and in Hong Kong said yesterday the settlement reached by the Japanese construction company Kajima and Chinese forced labourers would encourage them to follow suit.
The agreement was seen to set a precedent in Japan. Former labourers have filed about 60 compensation lawsuits against Japanese companies, but few have been successful.
Kajima yesterday agreed to pay 500 million yen (HK$35 million) to nearly 1,000 Chinese who were brutalised as prison labourers. The 'consolation money' concerned lawsuits filed over the alleged forced labour at the Hanaoka mine during World War II.
The Hanaoka mine, in the northern prefecture of Akita, was owned by Kajima-gumi, the forerunner of the present-day Kajima Corp. In 1944, 986 Chinese were transferred there.
Conditions were harsh, and former labourers say they were often beaten. On the night of June 30, 1945, they revolted under the leadership of a work foreman named Geng Zhun. The revolt was brutally suppressed by police, military police and local militias. Many of the labourers were subsequently tortured and killed.
The Hanaoka case is one of the most high-profile, and the compensation is the largest given so far. It is also the first time a compensation package has been offered not only to victims but also the family members of those who died.