China urges Japan to handle forced labor cases

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BEIJING - Japan should seriously address issues regarding forced labor during its aggression war, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying urged on Thursday.

Hua told a daily press briefing, "China has always urged the Japanese side to adopt a responsible attitude toward history, carefully face and properly handle this major problem left over by history."

A group of Chinese forced labors and their descendants have brought a lawsuit against Japanese companies at a Chinese court. The group is seeking compensation and apologies from the Japanese side.

But Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Wednesday the Chinese plaintiffs have "no case". He said the issue of individual rights for seeking compensation had already been settled by the China-Japan Joint Statement released in 1972.

However, Hua said, "China opposes Japan's attempt to come up with any unilateral and distorted explanation of the China-Japan Joint Statement."

She said the Chinese court will take care of the case according to law.

Hua said the joint statement explicitly states that the Japanese side is aware of Japan's responsibility for causing enormous damage in the past to the Chinese people through war and deeply reproaches itself.

"All the principles and spirit of the joint statement must be fully observed," Hua said.

She said forced conscribing and enslavement of laborers were serious crimes that Japanese militarism committed during its aggression and colonial rule of other countries. Till now, such crimes have still incurred great and chronic harm to the victims in both physical and psychological terms, Hua said.