Japan's Mitsubishi Materials reached a settlement with groups representing Chinese prisoners of war who were forced to work as slave laborers in the company's coal mines during World War II.

Japanese news media said the agreement will have the company paying more than AU$20,000 to each of the more than 3,000 Chinese victims and their families, and will also offer an apology.  The victims are among about 40,000 Chinese brought to Japan in the early 1940s as forced laborers to make up for a domestic labor shortage.  Many died due to violence and malnutrition.

 Last year, Mitsubishi Materials gave an unprecedented apology to a 94-year-old US prisoner of war for using American POWs for forced labour during World War II, nearly 70 years after the war ended.