TOKYO, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Tokyo District Court on Wednesday ruled against a group of Chongqing bombing survivors who sued the Japanese government and asked for apology and compensation.
Prior to the rule, representatives of the 188-accuser group took a small rally in the Hibiya Park in downtown Tokyo, holding banners saying "cherish peace and against the war."
Su Yuankui, who headed the accusers' group, told Xinhua before the rule that he hopes the court could have a just verdict, adding their lawsuit aims at highlighting the importance of peace, rather than keeping hatred in mind.
Chief lawyer of the accusers' group, Lin Gang, said that the verdict is not their final goal as what they want is to ask the Japanese government to squarely look at its wartime history.
Lin said that if their goal could not be achieved through the lawsuit, they will continue to urge the Japanese government to reflect on the history through other channels, adding they will appeal again.
Keiichiro Ichinose, a Japanese lawyer who helps the survivors seek compensation from the Japanese government, told Xinhua Wednesday that people who born in the post-war era are increasing and they are getting unfamiliar with the aggression war waged by Japan.
"I think this is the Japanese government's responsibility because they don't educate people properly about our history. I think we should fix the problem soon. I think it is important to learn from the mistakes in the past so that we would realize the friendship with China," said Ichinose.
Formed in April 2004, the group formally sued the Japanese government over the catastrophe in March 2006. A total of 188 survivors and relatives of victims from Chongqing and nearby cities have been involved in the lawsuit as accusers.
From February 1938 to August 1943, the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service and Navy Air Service conducted years-long terror blasts against Chongqing and its adjacent areas with over 11,500 bombs, mainly incendiary bombs.
Residential areas, business areas, schools and hospitals were the main targets of the attacks in which tens of thousands of civilians were killed. The bombings of Chongqing is a major war crime committed by Japan during its aggression in China during WWII.