The Tokyo District Court on Thursday dismissed two lawsuits filed by a conservative group claiming that "comfort women" articles published decades ago by The Asahi Shimbun and retracted in 2014 damaged their reputation as Japanese nationals.

Presiding Judge Hiroto Waki ruled the articles were written about the Imperial Army and Japanese militarism, so therefore did not directly harm the reputation of the plaintiffs.

The lawsuits were filed against the nation's leading liberal daily by a group led by Sophia University professor emeritus Shoichi Watanabe, with many, including researchers, lawmakers and journalists joining the suits. There were about 25,000 plaintiffs in all, according to the group.