Class-Action Lawsuits

Abstract

In December 2001, three Japanese “women left behind in China” filed a civil lawsuit in the Tokyo District Court, asking the Japanese government to acknowledge its responsibility for having abandoned them for decades. It requested compensation of¥20 million (US$181,818) per person. Suzuki Noriko was one of three plaintiffs. Suzuki was categorized as a “woman left behind in China” although she was only sixteen years old when she was shot by the Soviet Army. Through her volunteer work at the Society for the Repatriates from China, Suzuki knew the pains and sufferings of the orphans. They had faced midlife crisis in a “foreign” society. Suzuki stood up on behalf of the orphans who could not speak Japanese, to establish a precedent. Suzuki stated that the orphans’ uncertain future had deepened their sense of insecurity. The retired orphans were obliged to revert to living on welfare, which contradicted the government policy of promoting their self-sufficiency. Suzuki was receiving¥50,000 (US$455) combined pension benefits per month. Her husband did not receive any pension because his premium payments did not meet the required years. He ended up losing all of his premium payments. The two of them barely managed to make ends meet; even their children chipped in with ¥20,000 (US$182) every month. Suzuki stated that unless the government takes measures to guarantee the minimum subsistence living of the retired orphans, they could not live.¹