Chinese citizens file suit against Japanese firms for forced labor

Plaintiffs seek apologies, compensation as they lodge class-action case for first time

Thirty-seven Chinese citizens filed a lawsuit in a Beijing court on Wednesday demanding Japanese apologies and compensation for forced labor during World War II.

It is the first time that Chinese forced laborers and their relatives have lodged such a class-action case in a Chinese court. Observers said the case will increase pressure on Japan to correct its interpretation of its militarist history.