The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court decision requiring Nippon Steel Corp. to compensate the family of a late South Korean who was forced into labor during Japan’s colonial rule from 1910 to 1945. This marks the top court’s first ruling on cases filed since a landmark 2018 decision holding Japanese companies liable for damages to wartime forced labor victims.
The court confirmed that Nippon Steel must pay 100 million won (approximately $67,900) to the family of Jeong Hyeong-pal. Jeong’s four children filed the lawsuit in 2019 seeking 200 million won in damages, citing that their father was compelled to work at a steel mill in Iwate Prefecture, Japan, from 1940 to 1942.
The case involved years of legal disputes, with Nippon Steel arguing that the statute of limitations had expired. Typically, civil claims in Japan are subject to a 10-year statute of limitations, but exceptions exist when “objective reasons” prevent timely resolution. A lower court initially ruled against Jeong’s family in 2021, but an appellate court reversed that decision last year, applying the 2018 Supreme Court ruling as the point when the statute of limitations obstacle was lifted.
Since the 2018 decision, multiple courts have ruled in favor of forced labor victims, reinforcing the liability of Japanese companies for wartime labor abuses.