A West German court has issued an important ruling upholding the right of a young woman of Polish citizenship, now living in Israel, to compensation by the Bonn Government for confinement in a Shanghai ghetto under Japanese occupation during the Second World War, the Finance Ministry announced here today. The ruling is significant because, in the past, West Germany has recognized the claims of only German citizens for confinement in ghettos under Japanese rule.
The West German court has now accepted as proven, the fact that German diplomatic and consular officials in Japan and territories occupied by Japan, were instrumental in initiating anti-Jewish measures. About 1, 000 non-German Jews have submitted claims to the Bonn Government for imprisonment in the Shanghai ghetto.
It was indicated here today, meanwhile, that most West German states will fail to complete consideration of all general restitution claims by the 1962 deadline if the processing continues at the present rate of speed. In a report on general restitution claims by the Conference of Jewish Material Claims Against Germany and the Israel Ministry of Finance, it was disclosed that the West German authorities have so far settled only about 40 percent of all outstanding claims.
The Bonn Government has paid out, according to the report, 7, 000, 000, 000 deutschemarks ($1, 750, 000, 000) out of an estimated total of 17, 000, 000, 000 deutschemarks in claims. A total of 2, 700, 000 claims have been submitted by victims of the Nazis. Israeli citizens have received about 1,000,000,000 deutschemarks ($250,000,000) of the 7, 000, 000, 000 marks paid out.
(The East German Government has refused to recognize any obligation to compensate Jewish victims of Nazism and has paid no reparations or restitution.)
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