In 2002, “Japanese who had been orphaned in China” (Chugoku zanryu koji) filed a lawsuit against the Japanese State before the Tokyo Metropolitan Circuit Court. Since then, orphans have brought similar lawsuits before the lower courts in fifteen locations throughout Japan. The number of these plaintiffs has now reached 2,025. In Osaka, 111 orphans brought a suit before the district court in 2003. On July 6 th, 2005, the court will hand down a verdict to the first thirty-two plaintiffs. Their average age is sixty-five. As they age, they become increasingly dependent upon welfare. They claim that, due to the Japanese state’s neglect, they have suffered materially and emotionally.