Reiwa 6 (Ne) 200 Damages Appeal Case

This is a damages appeal filed by South Korean comfort women survivors and the heirs of a deceased victim. The plaintiffs sued the Japanese government in the Tokyo District Court, alleging that the Imperial Japanese Army forcibly subjected them to sexual slavery during World War II. The first instance court dismissed the claims, citing state immunity and ruling that individual compensation rights were extinguished by the 1965 Japan-Republic of Korea Claims Agreement. The plaintiffs appealed to the Tokyo High Court under case number Reiwa 6 (Ne) 200. In 2025, the appellate court examined whether the bilateral treaty precludes individual lawsuits and whether the gravity of crimes against humanity overrides the doctrine of sovereign immunity.

The Tokyo High Court dismissed the appeal, upholding the lower court's ruling that Japan is protected by state immunity and that all reparation issues were finally resolved through the 1965 bilateral agreement.

Whether the Japanese government can invoke state immunity to bar lawsuits concerning wartime crimes against humanity; and whether the 1965 Japan-South Korea Claims Settlement Agreement completely waives individual victims' rights to seek additional compensation in domestic courts.

The ruling intensified diplomatic tensions between Japan and South Korea, reigniting public debate over unresolved historical grievances. Civil society groups and human rights organizations condemned the decision as a denial of justice for war-time sexual violence victims, and South Korea's government expressed deep regret, further straining bilateral cooperation on security and trade.