A court in Japan has ruled against a group of Koreans who were pressing for the removal of their deceased relatives' names from Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo.

The Tokyo District Court on Tuesday handed down the ruling in a lawsuit filed in October 2013 by 27 family members of the Koreans, who were forced to serve as soldiers or civilian personnel in the Japanese military during World War Two. 

Their names, along with the names of Japanese soldiers who fought in the war, were inscribed on the rolls at Yasukuni Shrine, long considered the symbol of Japan’s imperialist past and wartime aggression. 

The court dismissed all of plaintiffs' demands, without revealing why, and also ordered them to pay all the court costs.