South Korea announced plans Monday to compensate victims of forced labor imposed by Japan during the war, though without direct Japanese involvement.
The Foreign Minister, park jinunveiled plans to use a South Korean foundation to compensate victims and their families, thereby expects Japanese companies to contribute voluntarily.
“I hope that Japan will respond positively to our big decision today, with Japanese companies contributing voluntarily and providing a comprehensive apology,” the minister stated.
The proposal immediately received the go-ahead from the Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishidawho praised the plan presented by seoul to compensate people enslaved by Japanese companies during the World War IIand indicated that his Government will maintain its apologies for the ordeal suffered by those affected.
“We have taken the position articulated by previous cabinets on the vision of history and we will continue to do so,” Kishida said during a parliamentary session after Seoul earlier announced its agreed proposal with Tokyo to compensate people enslaved by Japanese companies during that period. .
The prime minister welcomed the plan and said that this decision will “contribute to restoring healthy ties between Tokyo and Seoul,” thus maintaining the position already established in 1955 by the then prime minister, Tomiichi Murayama, who expressed “a heartfelt apology” on the part of Japan for the damage caused to many Asian nations.
Likewise, the US Secretary of State, Anthony BlinkenHe applauded the South Korean plans and said he was “inspired by the work that (both countries) have done to advance their bilateral relations.”
Some 780,000 Koreans were recruited for forced labor. during the 35 years of Japanese occupation, according to South Korean data, which does not include women forced into sexual slavery by Japanese soldiers.
South Korea and Japan are regional allies of the United States, but their bilateral relations have been strained by Tokyo’s brutal colonial rule on the Korean peninsula.
The Japanese press had previously reported that firms in the country could make donations to the foundation.
Tokyo insists that a 1965 treaty, under which the two countries restored diplomatic relations with an $800 million reparations package in grants and soft loans, settled all colonial-era claims.
The Seoul government’s plan is to use a local foundation to receive donations from South Korean companies who benefited from the 1965 Japanese reparations package to compensate the victims.
Park noted that that treaty was key to improving relations between Tokyo and Seoul.
“Korea-Japan cooperation is very important in all areas of diplomacy, economy and security amid the dire international situation and complex global crisis,” Park said.
But the plan drew criticism from victims’ groups, which demand financial compensation and a direct apology from the Japanese companies involved.
In 2018, the South Korean Supreme Court ordered some Japanese companies to pay compensation for forced labor during the occupation.
(With information from AFP)
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