To: Haim R. Branisteanu who wrote (105723 ) 4/21/2014 8:41:28 AM From: TobagoJack Respond to of 217656 Speaking of flood gates ...ft.com Japan told to compensate South Korean workers for forced labour ©Fukagawa MunetoshiKorean forced laborers from the Mitsubishi Shipyard in Hiroshima A South Korean court ruled on Wednesday that a Japanese steelmaker should pay compensation to four South Korean workers for their forced labour during Japan’s colonisation of Korea, in the first such court decision against a Japanese company involving Korean workers. The Seoul High Court told Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metals Corp to pay Won100m ($88,000) for each Korean worker, reversing previous court rulings in South Korea . The ruling was made after South Korea’s Supreme Court returned the case in May last year, saying that the country’s 1965 treaty with Japan that settled postwar compensation claims cannot stop individuals from seeking compensation from Japan . The landmark ruling, which is likely to affect five similar pending cases, comes amid deteriorating relations between Korea and Japan during territorial disputes over a set of islands in the Sea of Japan (which South Korea calls the East Sea) and a row over comments by Japanese politicians about Korean “comfort women” , who were forced to provide sex to Japanese soldiers. “Japan’s key military supplier, Japan Iron & Steel, committed inhumane and illegal activities, mobilising [Korean] labourers for war invasions. Such acts are against the international rule and the constitution of Korea and Japan,” the court said in the ruling. “If Nippon Steel says it is not responsible for such acts, citing the Korea-Japan compensation agreement, it violates the core values that Korea’s constitution aims to protect,” it added. Japan Iron & Steel was later known as Nippon Steel until it merged with another steelmaker last year to form Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal. South Korea gave up the right to lodge new war compensation claims against Japan when the two countries normalised relations in 1965, a concession that Japan argues rules out all claims against the government, companies or individuals. Yoshihide Suga, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, reiterated Tokyo’s view on Wednesday. “Our country’s position is that all claims for material compensation between Japan and South Korea are settled for good. If the court’s decision is in conflict with that, then it is not acceptable,” he said. Japan’s supreme court has rejected several damages suits against Japanese companies by former forced labourers, citing the 1965 treaty. Following the Wednesday ruling, Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Group said it planned to appeal the ruling in Seoul’s Supreme Court, calling it an “unjust decision” that denies the 1965 treaty between the two countries. Other Japanese companies that allegedly exploited Korean labour during the war could face similar judgments. Five similar cases are pending in South Korea, including the ones against Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Nachi-Fujikoshi . Court rulings on Mitsubishi and Fujikoshi are expected on July 30 and December 5 respectively. “We expect the ruling to have a significant influence over other pending cases as we prepare to file more cases with other victims,” said Kim Mi-kyung, a lawyer who represented the Korean plaintiffs against Nippon Steel. Japanese companies are doing more business in South Korea than ever, a situation that could make them more vulnerable to local court rulings regarding their past behaviour. Japanese companies were the largest source of foreign direct investment in South Korea last year, providing $4.5bn, five times more than they invested in 2007. Bilateral trade, meanwhile, has risen to more than $80bn annually.This article has been amended to reflect the fact that Japan and South Korea disagree over the name of the body of water separating the countries.