The government said Friday it will fight a compensation lawsuit filed by more than 600 war-displaced Japanese left behind in China and urged a court to reject the plaintiffs' claims.
The first session at the Tokyo District Court concerned 40 of the 637 plaintiffs from eight prefectures, who are each demanding 33 million yen in compensation from the government for being abandoned and what they say has been insufficient support since returning to Japan.
Tadashi Utsumi, one of the two plaintiffs who presented their opinions at the day's court session, said: "In China, I was bullied and called a 'little Japanese demon.' In Japan, I have been called a Chinese and discriminated against."
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