Reiwa 5 (Wa) 2 Damages Claim Case

In 2025, the Tokyo District Court heard a damages claim filed under case number "Reiwa 5 (Wa) 2" by South Korean comfort women victims and their families against the Japanese government. The plaintiffs sought compensation and an official apology for sexual slavery during World War II, arguing that Japan committed crimes against humanity. The case centered on whether individual claims were extinguished by the 1965 Japan-Korea Claims Settlement Agreement and whether state immunity barred the suit. The court ultimately dismissed the claims, ruling that all wartime compensation issues were diplomatically settled and that Japan could not be sued in its own courts without consent. The decision reaffirmed the government's longstanding legal position while reigniting painful historical grievances.

The court dismissed all claims, holding that the 1965 Agreement comprehensively settled compensation matters between Japan and South Korea, and that the Japanese government retains sovereign immunity from civil suits in domestic courts regarding wartime acts.

Whether the 1965 bilateral treaty waived individual victims' right to claim compensation; whether state immunity applies to grave human rights violations and jus cogens norms; whether Japanese courts have jurisdiction over such historical reparation claims.

The ruling drew strong condemnation from South Korean civic groups and the surviving victims, sparking protests and diplomatic protests. It further strained already fragile Japan-South Korea relations and renewed international criticism of Japan's handling of wartime accountability. Human rights organizations cited the case as a setback for universal justice, while legal scholars debated the tension between state immunity and victims' rights to remedy.