Victims of Japanese aggression during World War II and their bereaved families plan to file a class action lawsuit against the Japanese government this year, which marks the centennial of Japan’s forced takeover of Korea.

The Association for the Pacific War Victims said Friday that it had appointed legal counsel in preparation for the suit last October.

The association, launched in 1973, is a group formed by Koreans who were victimized by the 35-year Japanese colonial rule over Korea. Members include those forced into labor and sexual slavery as well as their surviving relatives.

The association plans to receive signatures as part of legal procedures from approximately 200-thousand plaintiffs who reported themselves as victims of the war to the South Korean government.