Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Tuesday called on Seoul to take concrete actions to resolve a bilateral row over reparations for victims of wartime sexual slavery in the wake of South Korean President Moon Jae-in's statement pointing to the need to improve relations between the Asian countries
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th January, 2021) Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Tuesday called on Seoul to take concrete actions to resolve a bilateral row over reparations for victims of wartime sexual slavery in the wake of South Korean President Moon Jae-in's statement pointing to the need to improve relations between the Asian countries.
Relations between Seoul and Tokyo have been at a historic low over a South Korean court order mandating Japan to pay 12 women over $90,000 each to compensate for their exploitation as so-called comfort women by Imperial Japan during World War II. One support group expressed readiness to take legal action to force the seizure of Japanese assets if Tokyo continues to refuse payments. According to South Korean state news agency Yonhap, Moon said at his New Year's press conference that such a move would be unfavorable for bilateral relations, preferring using diplomatic means.
"It's difficult to make a judgment solely based on the South Korean side's statement that it wants to resolve issues (with Japan.) I want to make a judgment after seeing concrete proposals by the South Korean side," Motegi said, as quoted by the Kyodo news agency.
The controversial court ruling � the latest in a long standoff between the East Asian neighbors over the issue � was reached earlier in January. Japan maintains that the issue was settled in a 2015 agreement that saw previous leaders issue apologies and fund a foundation supporting the victims. The recent rulings come on the heels of lawsuits filed by separate groups of victims and their families. The issue led to a trade spat between the two nations in 2019 that resulted in Japan suspending the sale of raw materials crucial for the giant South Korean tech manufacturing sector.
