A Japanese immigrant to the Dominican Republic, at the final trial session of a damages suit against the government, stressed Monday how he and his fellow immigrants have suffered as a result of a government-sponsored emigration program in the late 1950s.
"There is no limit to the suffering and emotional scars the immigrants have experienced in the 49 years since the settlement," said Toru Takegama at the Tokyo District Court.
Takegama, 67, immigrated to the Dominican Republic at age 18 with his family.
Nearly 180 plaintiffs, including some who subsequently returned to Japan, have filed suit at the court between 2000 and 2001 seeking a total of 3.1 billion yen.
They allege they did not receive the rich farmland promised by the Japanese government. Plaintiffs also say they had to endure many hardships after emigrating.
The emigration scheme was in effect from 1956 to 1959, a time when Japan's population had swelled due to the repatriation of civilians and soldiers from around Asia after the end of World War II.
Emigrants traveled to the Dominican Republic after being told they would be provided with fertile farmland in the "Caribbean Paradise." What they found instead, according to the plaintiffs, was poor, parched soil where little could grow.
Some families returned to Japan and others moved to South America. Some committed suicide, according to the plaintiffs.
"We have made a heartbreaking decision to file a lawsuit against our homeland, but could there be such a ridiculous story in which the deadline expires because the lawsuit was filed too late?" Takegama asked the court during the five minutes he was allowed to speak.