Former U.S. prisoners of war used as forced laborers by private Japanese companies during World War II initiated steps to get compensation from the firms during a Senate committee meeting here Wednesday.
The Senate Judiciary Committee held a one-day hearing to examine historical and legal issues surrounding forced labor imposed by the Imperial Japanese Army and Japanese firms during the war.
The hearing was held in response to the increasing number of lawsuits being filed by former POWs seeking compensation for forced wartime labor at the hands of Japanese captors in violation of international law.
Bruce Harder, director of Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, said: "We want to make it clear that we strongly support the right of veterans who are former POWs to receive fair and just compensation for the injuries they suffered at the hands of their Japanese captors."