TOKYO >> Japan’s foreign minister accused South Korea on Monday of worsening already strained ties by making “illegal” demands for compensation for the sexual abuse of Korean women and the use of forced workers during World War II.
Toshimitsu Motegi, in a diplomatic political speech in parliament, said that a recent decision by the South Korean court ordering Japan to indemnify 12 South Korean women who were sexually abused in Japanese military brothels during the war was “an abnormal development absolutely unthinkable under international law and bilateral relations. ”
“We strongly urge South Korea to correct the violation of international law as soon as possible” and to restore healthy relations, said Motegi.
The Seoul Central District Court ruled on January 8 that the Japanese government should give 100 million won ($ 91,360) to each of the 12 elderly women who filed lawsuits in 2013 because of their wartime suffering as “women” comfort “.
They were among tens of thousands of women in Asia and the Pacific occupied by the Japanese who were sent to Japanese army brothels on the front lines.
The decision exacerbated tensions between the two countries, whose relations had already fallen to the lowest level in decades compared to previous South Korean decisions on Japan’s actions during the 1910-1945 colonial rule on the Korean Peninsula.
South Korea’s Supreme Court in 2018 ordered Japanese companies to provide damages to some South Koreans who were forced to work in their factories during the war.
The forced labor dispute turned into a trade dispute and prompted South Korea to threaten to undo a 2016 military intelligence sharing agreement with Japan, a key component of its regional defense cooperation with the United States.
Japan protested the court’s decisions, saying that all issues of compensation during the war were resolved under a 1965 treaty that normalized relations in which Japan provided $ 500 million in economic assistance.
In Seoul, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Monday that “it would not be desirable for bilateral relations” if Seoul and Tokyo were unable to find a diplomatic solution before the South Korean courts proceeded to liquidate the local assets of the Japanese companies that were seized after refusing to compensate Korean wartime workers.
Moon also described the “comfort women” decision as an “honestly complicated” development for the government’s efforts to improve relations with Japan. Speaking at a news conference, he did not elaborate on any possible diplomatic efforts.
Motegi called South Korea “an important neighbor” and said his cooperation with Japan and the United States was “indispensable for regional security”, including responding to North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.
Japan, under a 1995 semi-governmental fund for Asian women, offered payments and letters of apology to certified victims of their sexual abuse during the war in five countries, resolving disputes with everyone except South Korea. Sixty-one South African victims. Koreans received 5 million yen ($ 48,200) each from the 367 million yen ($ 3.5 million) fund, according to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but many others refused to accept the money.
In 2015, the then governments of South Korea and Japan reached what should be a final and irreversible agreement to resolve the issue with a new 1 billion yen ($ 9 million) fund created by the Japanese government, but the current administration da Lua was dissolved, saying the agreement was reached without due consultation with the victims.
In what appeared to be a change of tone, Moon said on Monday that South Korea recognizes the 2015 agreement as a legitimate agreement that should provide a basis for finding a better solution that satisfies the victims. He gave no further details.
Deputy Chief Secretary of the Cabinet, Manabu Sakai, said his government had “taken note” of Moon’s comment. Japan is still calling for appropriate measures by South Korea, while considering all possible options, he said.
“We will be looking at what actions will be taken on the South Korean side,” said Sakai.