By Yuki Tatsumi
The agreement could provide a long-awaited breakthrough in Japan-Korea ties.
On December 28, Japan and South Korea reached an agreement on how to address so-called “comfort women” issue. While the implementation of the agreement will be the key, this agreement is extremely important in preventing the issue from derailing the relationship between Tokyo and Seoul.
The agreement was announced in a form of parallel statements issued by Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byong-sei, after months of consultations between senior officials from both sides. There are several significant elements in this agreement, for which both Japanese and Korean officials deserve credit.
Most notably, the agreement provides a face-saving solution for South Korea while allowing Japan to remain consistent with its past position that all the issues related to Japan’s wartime wrongdoings were resolved with the signing of Japan-ROK Basic Treaty in 1965 and thus Tokyo is not obligated to compensate the individuals directly. Under the agreement reached on Monday, the Japanese government agreed to contribute funds to a foundation, to be established by the South Korean government, to assist the healing of the comfort women. These funds will be allocated from Japan’s national budget. In the 1990s, an attempt by the Murayama government to provide compensation for comfort women through the Asia Women’s Fund failed, largely because of criticism within South Korea that the Fund was not official and therefore could not be considered as “official” reparations. This agreement provides a clever formula by which Japan financially contributes government resources to a fund for comfort women without compromising its past position.
Read the full story at The Diplomat