(Transcript from World News Radio)
Almost 40,000 Chinese men were forced to work in Japan during the Second World War.
Now the descendants of almost 1000 of them have begun legal action against contemporary Japanese companies.It's no secret that the relationship between China and Japan varies between competitive and downright hostile.
Their rivalry dates back centuries, long before the world wars.
But the re-surfacing of allegations from the Second World War, that Japan trafficked Chinese men to use as slave labour, has further strained fragile relations.
Liu Goulian's father was among those forced to work in Japan.
He described to her a desperate situation.
(starts in Mandarin) "He said, "I'm very lucky." At the time, he was right in the prime of his life, 20-something years old. He said there were some who were older than him, or there were some kids in their teens. He said there were some who didn't come back." (ends in Mandarin)
Under a 1972 joint statement, China agreed not to ask Japan for war reparations then, or in the future.
Despite this, and a generally dismissive response from Japanese courts, numerous compensation cases have been brought against Japanese companies and its government.
The latest court action is on behalf of almost a thousand Chinese men allegedly forced to become labour slaves.
Lawyer Kang Jian says although many of the victims have passed away, she thinks the evidence will speak for itself.
(starts in Mandarin) "The Japanese government has put off a resolution, and now the forced labourers have passed away, one by one. So at this time in the lawsuit, out of the 40 plaintiffs, there are only 2 survivors. However, with more than ten years of litigation we have already clearly investigated the facts about the victims. We've kept a detailed record of the investigation, and the evidence is basically complete, so this time, our Beijing lawsuit shouldn't face any obstacles related to this issue." (ends in Mandarin)
A recent series of incidents between the two nations has tested the Sino-Japanese relationship.
In April, China detained a Japanese-owned ship, over unpaid bills from a wartime contract.
This was followed later in the month by a visit by Japanese politicians to the controversial Yasukuni war shrine in Tokyo.
China speculated about the damage done to their relationship.
(starts in Mandarin) "At the moment Chinese-Japanese relations cannot be classified as being in their usual state of affairs. The main responsibility here is not that of China, nor the Japanese people. I think it's that of Japan's main leaders. I believe that Japanese leaders should really change their current course and correct their erroneous militaristic policies that they advocate in order to bring Chinese-Japanese relations back to a normal state. This is what Japanese leaders need to do." (ends in Mandarin)
Then a long-running fight over a small group of islands in the East China Sea was re-ignited.
Called Senkaku by Japan, and Diaoyu by China, the seven square kilometre stretch of uninhabitated rocks are in an important strategic position, near shipping corridors - and potentially, large oil and gas reserves.
Unsurprisingly, both countries claim ownership of the islands, although officially they are in Japanese hands.
Patron of the Chinese-Australian Association in Canberra, Sam Wong, says this tug-of-war demonstrates how old feuds haven't been forgotten.
"If you look at the current territorial dispute between China and Japan, a lot of the so-called national interests regarding the atrocities and things happening in the past have been revived again."
Sam Wong accuses Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of trying to deny his country's role in the Second World War.
But he does believe Japan will one day admit to the role it played in the war.
"I think they will. I think that depending on the conscience and also the people of Japan. Under the current Japanese government they want to revert back to the old Japan, the imperial way and the current government of Japan needs to think very hard on the basis of--if they go on to (keep) denying or camouflaging the situation, it doesn't really show the dignity of the Japanese people at all. The truth is always the truth, you can't actually hide it or do something about it. We don't want the same mistakes being made by any government in the future, past or present because this is really a crime to humanity."
China is also worried about the Abe government, particularly after a recent proposal by Japan to re-think banning its military from fighting outside Japanese borders.
A spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry warned Japan not to upset the status quo.
(starts in Mandarin) "Abe has taken a series of unprecedented moves since he assumed office. In view of the recent negative trends happening in Japan concerning historical issues, Asian countries and the international community including China have every reason to be on high alert for Japan's real intention and future tendency. We urge Japan to respect the justified and reasonable security concerns of other countries in the region, adhere to the path to peaceful development, face up to and reflect on history, and play a constructive role in regional peace and stability." (ends in Mandarin)
After its defeat in the First World War, Germany was forced to sign a treaty taking responsibility for the conflict, and to pay reparations.
Then following the Second World War, it has made efforts to atone for past crimes, including admitting its role in the Holocaust.
Sam Wong believes this is an ideal approach for Japan to follow.
"The total situation has been totally repatriated on the basis of they admit the guilt, they admit their wrongdoing especially to the Jewish community and they paid a lot of compensation. And not only that; through the education system the German schools have totally admitted the wrong things that they've done in World War II. But in Japan they're been high and shy and camouflaged it and all sorts of things. They're not admitting the historical part of this whole thing including a lot of forced labour, comfort women, bacterial germ warfare experiments."
Japan continues to argue it has admitted guilt where necessary.
But Liu Goulian says she just wants to get justice for her father, and the other Chinese men used for slave labour.
(starts in Mandarin) "You not only get humiliated, you face so much hardship, you get no apology, there are not even any wages, who would accept that? To his dying breath, he still said, 'If you have the chance, you have to settle this account with them." (ends in Mandarin)
