State Immunity

Legal principle determining whether a sovereign state can be sued in domestic courts.

Case for Confirmation of Common Obligation (Reiwa 5 (Wa) No. 3112)
  1. Case for Confirmation of Common Obligation (Reiwa 5 (Wa) No. 3112)
  2. Jurisdiction: Japan (February 2025)
  3. Original Case: 令和5(ワ)3112 共通義務確認請求事件
  4. VictimsLee Chun-sikKim Seong-juDefendantsNippon Steel CorporationPlaintiffsLee Soon-aeKim Seong-juInstitutionsTokyo District CourtNippon Steel Corporation
  5. Case Tags: Forced Labor;Japan-Korea Relations;State Immunity;International Treaty Interpretation
Reiwa 5 (Wa) No. 13 Damages Claim Case
  1. Reiwa 5 (Wa) No. 13 Damages Claim Case
  2. Jurisdiction: Japan (2025)
  3. Original Case: 令和5(ワ)13 損害賠償請求事件
  4. DefendantsGovernment of JapanInstitutionsTokyo District Court
  5. Case Tags: Japan-Korea Historical Dispute;State Immunity;Damages Claim;International Treaty Interpretation
The Retrial Request Case (Comfort Women Compensation Retrial)
  1. The Retrial Request Case (Comfort Women Compensation Retrial)
  2. Jurisdiction: Japan (2026-05-12 (Supreme Court ruling on the retrial request filed on 2026-02-03))
  3. Original Case: 再審請求事件 (재심청구 사건)
  4. Key Figures: Lee Yong-soo and five other surviving Korean "comfort women" (Retrial Applicants); The State of Japan (Respondent)
  5. Case Tags: Sexual Slavery;War Crimes;Crimes Against Humanity;State Immunity
Damages Claim Appeal (Korean Forced Laborers v. Japan)
  1. Damages Claim Appeal (Korean Forced Laborers v. Japan)
  2. Jurisdiction: Japan (2026-05-20)
  3. Original Case: 損害賠償請求控訴事件 (Songai Baishō Seikyū Kōso Jiken)
  4. Key Figures: Plaintiffs: South Korean forced labor survivors and bereaved families; Defendants: Japanese Government and Nippon Steel Corporation
  5. Case Tags: State Immunity;Forced Labor;Crimes Against Humanity;War Reparations
Japan-South Korea Forced Labor Damages Appeal Case
  1. Japan-South Korea Forced Labor Damages Appeal Case
  2. Jurisdiction: Japan, Tokyo High Court (2026 (appeal hearings and final ruling in October 2026))
  3. Original Case: 損害賠償請求控訴事件
  4. Key Figures: Appellants: Kim Chang-soo and other South Korean survivors and bereaved families of World War II forced labor; Appellees: Nippon Steel Corporation and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
  5. Case Tags: Forced Labor;War Reparations;State Immunity;Japan-Korea Relations