Court rejects Japanese immigrants' claims

Court rejects Japanese immigrants' claims

About 1,300 Japanese moved to the Dominican Republic between 1956 and 1959 after the Japanese government began promoting emigration to the Caribbean nation with promises of fertile land, the support group said in its Web site.

The court recognized the plaintiffs' hardships but said that their right to claim damages had already expired, according to Shoichi Kanno, chief lawyer for the plaintiffs. Under Japan's law, such claims must be made within 20 years, the AP reports.