Today the judges have found Emperor Hirohito guilty of crimes against humanity

Judge Gabrielle McDonald

During the five-day hearing scores of former comfort women gave evidence of their suffering during the 1930s and 1940s.

The trial was set up by women's groups from eight countries and had no official standing. But the organisers hope to put pressure on Japan to redress the wrong.

The symbolic ruling comes just days after Japanese courts rejected lawsuits brought by Korean and Filipino comfort women who were demanding compensation and apologies.

Determined to fight

More than 450 participants, including victims, lawyers, judges and scholars from around the world attended the tribunal.

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In its condemnation of Hirohito, the mock tribunal concluded: "Superiors can be responsible for the acts of their subordinates if they'd known or should have known that these acts had been committed."

The four judges - headed by the former president of the UN's Yugoslavia war crimes tribunal, Gabrielle McDonald -also found that individual victims have a right to claim compensation from Japan.

"The state must act with due diligence to address and repair the harm," said Christine Chinkin, one of the judges.

Although many women are now in their 70s - while others have died - they are still determined to fight for an official Japanese apology and compensation for their suffering.

Women abducted

An estimated 200,000 to 300,000 women across Asia, predominantly Korean and Chinese, are believed to have been forced to work as sex slaves in Japanese military brothels.

The state must act with due diligence to address and repair the harm

Judge Christine Chinkin

Many were abducted, and girls as young as 10 were sent to the brothels, where they were forced to have sex with as many as 30 soldiers a day.

No defence was provided for Emperor Hirohito and the accused military leaders and wartime cabinet ministers.

Organisers say they invited the Japanese government to take part in the tribunal, but it declined to do so.