A group of 15 Asian women who say they were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese army during World War II have started legal action in the United States against the Japanese government. The women, from China, Taiwan, the Philippines and Korea, are using an 18th-century law that gives foreigners the right to sue in American courts for abuses of international law.
Japan says it has already compensated war victims sufficiently.
Although the US court action is seeking unspecified damages, legal experts say the claim is likely to be in the region of tens of billions of dollars. The organisation said it hoped the legal case would encourage more people to come forward. Ms Geum-Joo is demanding a formal apology from the Japanese Government. But a Japanese official in Washington said his government had apologised to former comfort women on a number of occasions. Japan, which officially admitted the existence of the military brothels in 1992, said disbursements have already been made to 170 women.