Japanese war orphans from China file suits against government

War orphans who returned home from China decades after Japan's defeat in WWII, 612 in all, on September 24 filed lawsuits in Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto and Hiroshima, demanding that the state pay about 33 million yen (0.3 million dollars) to each plaintiff in compensation.

The plaintiffs say that the state is responsible for their orphanage in China after the war, but that it has done too little to help them live in Japanese society since they came back from China.

The lawsuit is the third of its kind since the first one in December 2002. The number of plaintiffs totaled 1,262, more than half of the war orphans returning from China.

Plaintiff Adachi Taisei (70) told the press that the government had done nothing for the benefit of war orphans who returned home. "The long years of hardship are beyond description. My hope is to win the suit so that we, who were orphaned, can restore our dignity as Japanese citizens," Adachi said. (end)