It recognized the victims' individual rights to claim damages, though Tokyo claims that all reparation-related issues were settled under a government-to-government pact with Seoul in 1965 that normalized bilateral ties.

The lawyers plan to make the request this month for talks with the Japanese firm and demand it make a response by the end of next month, according to Kyodo.

Should the firm fail to respond sincerely, the lawyers would seek a legal process to seize its assets based on the court ruling.

The forced labor issue has added to tensions in the Seoul-Tokyo relationship that has long been beset by historical and territorial feuds.

Tensions recently flared again after Japan claimed last month that a South Korean destroyer directed fire-control radar at its patrol aircraft in what it calls a "dangerous" act. Seoul rejected the claim, saying the warship was focused on a humanitarian mission to rescue a North Korean ship in distress and that it did not target the plane. (Yonhap)