Chinese victims of Japan's atrocities during World War II will lodge lawsuits in China after nearly two decades of proceedings in Japan failed to gain compensation.

Five law firms have signed agreements with a federation to give legal assistance to the victims who were forced into hard labor during Japan's 1931-1945 invasion of China.

"The possibility for us to win such cases in Japanese courts, influenced by right-wing forces, are very small," Tong Zeng, chairman of the non-government Chinese Association for Claiming Compensation from Japan which was officially set up on Sunday. 
The Chinese, who were injured or forced to be sex slaves or laborers, have filed 25 lawsuits in Japan. But none of these have been successful.

Suits filed by those forced to labor will be against Japanese businesses in China. Over 40,000 Chinese were forced to work as laborers during the invasion by businesses including Mitsubishi Materials and Sumitomo Metal.

Chen Chunlong, vice-chairman of the association, said that it was legal to raise compensation claims against Japan in China according to international law. 

Tian Chunsheng, 76, who was forced to work in a Japanese mine, has asked the association to try and bring a case against a Japanese firm before a Chinese court. This is the first time efforts have been made to have a case of this kind heard in China.

However, the number of cases filed is expected to rise due to lower costs and the potential of getting a fair hearing, said Tong Zeng. He added that the association was racing against time to find as many war victims as possible and assist them.

Sino-Japanese ties are at their lowest ebb for decades and this wasn't helped by Japanese Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, visiting to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo which honors the country's 2.5 million dead and a handful of convicted war criminals.

Chinese President Hu Jintao said Friday that he's ready to hold talks with Japanese leaders if they decide to stop the 'shrine' pilgrimages during a meeting with the heads of seven Japan-China friendship organizations.

(Xinhua News Agency April 4, 2006)