"South Korea forced labour victim gets 'compensation' from Japan firm, lawyer says", 20 Feb 2024

The family of a South Korean man forced to work for a Japanese company during Japan's 1910-1945 occupation has received money from the Japanese firm he worked for, marking the first time a forced labour victim has secured such funds in a legal case.

South Korea's Supreme Court has upheld a series of rulings ordering Japanese firms to compensate its citizens who were forced to work for them, drawing protests from Japan, though the Japanese firms have refused to pay the compensation...

The family of the South Korean, who died in 2019 and was identified only by his surname Lee, received a deposit of 60 million won ($44,800) from Hitachi Zosen (7004.T), opens new tab, the family lawyer said...

Lawyer Lee Min, who described the money as "compensation", said it was the first case in which money was paid by a Japanese company to a forced labour victim.

Hitachi Zosen, a major heavy machinery and engineering company, deposited the money with the court pending the outcome of the case.

A spokesperson for Hitachi Zosen said it was "extremely regrettable" that the court released the money to the family...

The Supreme Court has also ruled for the victims or their families in cases brought against companies such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (7011.T), opens new tab and Nippon Steel Corp (5401.T), opens new tab. None of these firms have said they accept the ruling or paid.

The Japanese government said the payout violates a key part of a 1965 treaty establishing diplomatic ties between the countries...

The Supreme Court has also ruled that the labourers' right to reparation was not terminated by the 1965 treaty that Tokyo says settled the matter of forced labour and wartime sex abuse...