Comfort Women Compensation Lawsuit against the Japanese Government (2025 Appeal Verdict)

In 2021, former "comfort women" survivors including Lee Yong-soo and bereaved families filed a damages lawsuit (Reiwa 3 Wa 518) before the Tokyo District Court, demanding compensation from the Japanese government for wartime sexual slavery. The plaintiffs argued that the state violated their human dignity and failed to provide redress. The Tokyo District Court initially dismissed the case, citing state immunity and the 1965 Japan-Korea Claims Settlement Agreement. The plaintiffs appealed to the Tokyo High Court, which, in 2025, upheld the lower court's decision, ruling that Japan cannot be held liable under international law and that all claims were settled through the bilateral treaty.

In 2025, the Tokyo High Court dismissed the appeal, reaffirming that the Japanese government enjoys sovereign immunity and that individual compensation rights were waived under the 1965 bilateral treaty.

Whether the Japanese government is liable for compensating the victims of the military comfort women system, and whether individual claims were extinguished by the 1965 Agreement on the Settlement of Problems Concerning Property and Claims and on Economic Cooperation between Japan and the Republic of Korea.

The ruling sparked strong criticism from South Korean civic groups and survivor advocates, further straining Japan-South Korea diplomatic relations. International human rights organizations condemned the decision, arguing it perpetuates a denial of justice for wartime sexual violence victims.