Civilian survivors of U.S. air raids on Tokyo during World War II testified in court Thursday in a bid to win compensation for their suffering and, ultimately, to put the brakes on the government's drive to amend the war-renouncing Constitution.
The suit, filed with the Tokyo District Court in March by 112 plaintiffs, alleges the government indirectly caused the attacks on Tokyo by prolonging the war and neglected its duty to compensate civilians after the attacks. They are demanding an apology and a combined 1.23 billion yen in reparations.
Mitsuru Kimori, who lost his parents and a younger brother during the Great Tokyo Air Raid of 1945, testified as the trial got under way that the government provided him no support after he was orphaned at age 12.