The Supreme Court rulings against forced laborers…will effectively halt a raft of wartime damages cases being fought mainly by Chinese and Koreans, because lower courts look to the top court for guidance…In another case, five Chinese who were forced to work for Japanese firm Nishimatsu Construction during World War Two lost their fight for compensation when the Supreme Court overturned a landmark ruling that had ordered the company to pay them.That claim had also been settled under the 1972 joint statement, the court said…In 2004, the Hiroshima High Court ordered Nishimatsu to pay a total of 27.5 million yen ($230,000) to the plaintiffs.