Chinese plaintiffs have taken their battle for compensation and an apology over injuries and deaths stemming from germ warfare activities pursued in China by the Japanese military during the war to the Supreme Court, court officials said Thursday.
The 180 plaintiffs -- victims and relatives of deceased victims -- filed the appeal at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, a day after the Tokyo High Court rejected their demands for compensation.
The plaintiffs are seeking 1.8 billion yen in damages, or 10 million yen per plaintiff.
In its ruling, the high court acknowledged that the germ warfare campaign by the notorious Unit 731 of the Imperial Japanese Army killed many Chinese.
It said, however, that individuals had no right -- under international treaties or wartime Japanese laws -- to seek damages directly from the Japanese government.