A heartbroken mum whose partner was killed in a plane crash is demanding compensation from his employer more than 30 years after the tragedy.

Susanne Bayly, 58, lost her Japanese partner, Akihisa Yukawa, known as Aki, in a Japan Airlines air crash near Tokyo in August 1985. It was the deadliest single-aircraft accident in history and killed 520 people.

The mother-of-two – who is now living with her cousin in Herne Bay – says she has been left with nothing and is demanding her partner’s employer hands her compensation.

Ms Bayly said: “This case is about how big companies treat individuals worldwide and get away with it.

“I am asking them to backdate the pension to when the accident happened because they can’t get away with the damage that has been caused to one family.

“I know Aki would have expected the company he devoted his life to not to treat his loved one like that.”

Susanne met Aki – a top Japanese banker with the Sumitomo Bank firm – in London while she was working as a ballet dancer aged 21.

“The company treated me without dignity and like I was a very bad person" - Susanne Bayly

The pair never married, but had two daughters – one born six weeks after Aki’s death.

Sussane received compensation for her daughters from Japan Airlines in 2001, but is demanding a pension is paid out from the Sumitomo Bank.

She says that Japanese tradition dictates that when someone dies on a work assignment, his or her dependants should receive generous compensation.

Susanne said: “This is all about fighting for justice after a disaster and also about discrimination against women – I should not be punished because we weren’t married.

“The company treated me without dignity and like I was a very bad person.

“Everything is about honour in Japan and this is a total dishonour to Aki.”

Susanne did receive a loan from the Sumitomo Bank via the Yukawa family following the crash, but it had to be paid back.

She had her home in Wimbledon repossessed in 2012 and following that lost contact with her two daughters, now aged 35 and 30.

Susanne – who claims she would now be homeless if her cousin had not taken her in – added: “It’s about survival now – I need the voice to tell people it is wrong.

“It doesn’t matter that 30 years have passed since the accident as I am still here.

“I have no home and can’t even get a one-bedroom apartment as I can’t get a deposit.”

Susanne now hopes to pursue the case in the UK courts, where she previously tasted success when a High Court judge ruled that her two daughters were the blood children of Aki, a verdict recognised in Japan.

It was the first time in Japanese government history that British legal evidence was used to make an amendment.

Susanne added: “I am convinced this case can open doors for others.

“It is never too late to fight for something that is hugely important for your lost loved one.”