'Sex slaves' win support against Japan

Wartime sex slaves also came from Korea and they too are seeking compensation

BEIJING, China -- China is supporting court action in Japan by women forced by the Japanese military to serve as sex slaves during World War II.

The move is likely to widen the divide between China and Japan over wartime issues.

It came as Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi underscored on Wednesday his determination to visit a controversial war shrine -- a move likely to further strained ties with China and anger other Asian states.

"The visit is not intended to justify or glorify World War Two, but I want to pay respect and gratitude to those who, against their own will, were pulled into battle and died," Koizumi told a heated question-and-answer session in parliament.

"I don't understand the sentiments of those who oppose the visit every time," he said.

Meanwhile the women are pusuing an appeal in an attempt to overturn a Japanese court ruling against them.

The All-China Lawyers Association, the All-China Women's Federation and the China Foundation for Human Rights Development issued a statement supporting the appeal.

The groups are government-supported and would not take such a stand without official permission.

"The court has turned a blind eye to the facts, laws and human rights and has once again seriously harmed the Chinese victims and the feelings of the Chinese people," said the statement on the lawyers association's Web site.

It said the women produced "enough evidence" to prove they had been repeatedly raped by Japanese soldiers between 1942 and 1944. It accused the Tokyo District Court of disregarding the facts in its May 30 decision.

"The support of these groups is very important. They represent wide sectors of society," said Kang Jian, a Beijing lawyer for the former sex slaves.

Five Chinese women sue

No one knows how many sex slaves survive. Many have concealed their past, considering it shameful.

Historians say as many as 200,000 Asian women were abducted as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers before and during World War II.

It was only in 1992 that Tokyo admitted that its wartime military was involved in setting up and running brothels.

The Japanese government has rejected most demands for compensation.

In some cases, it ruled that postwar treaties and reparations settled all wartime claims.

In others, it contended that the statute of limitations had expired, or that international labor rules did not require compensation for sexual slavery.

Five women from central China's Shanxi province filed a lawsuit in Tokyo in 1995 demanding an apology and $162,000 (20 million yuan) in compensation from Japan for suffering caused by their sexual servitude during the war.

One died in 1998, leaving four to pursue the case.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.