China Sanctions Japan Firms, 13 Years After Wartime Labor Ruling

China has imposed sanctions on five Japanese companies. The move comes more than a decade after a South Korean court ordered them to compensate victims of wartime forced labor. The sanctions, announced by China's foreign ministry, freeze any assets the firms have in China and ban Chinese individuals and companies from doing business with them. The targeted companies include Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Nippon Steel. Analysts see the timing as significant. The action follows a recent South Korea-Japan summit aimed at mending ties, a development Beijing may view unfavorably. The sanctions are widely seen as a symbolic political gesture rather than an economic threat, given the long delay and the limited current business these specific firms have in China. The 2012 South Korean court ruling remains a major point of tension between Seoul and Tokyo. Japan maintains all compensation issues were settled by a 1965 treaty. China's decision to act now appears to be an attempt to influence diplomatic relations between its two neighbors.