A South Korean court has ordered Japan to compensate women who were forced to work in Japan’s military brothels during World War II, a decisive decision that fueled tensions between US allies just before Joe Biden took office .
The district court in Seoul on Friday made the first ruling ordering Japan to compensate what is euphemistically known as ‘comfort women’, in a case filed on behalf of 12 of the women. It ordered the Japanese government to pay 100 million won ($ 91,000) each to surviving wives and relatives of those who died.
“The plaintiffs appear to be in serious mental and physical pain,” the court said in its ruling. The plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government in 2013, demanding that they win $ 100 million ($ 92,500) each in compensation.
The court said Japan had refused to accept documents regarding the matter and rejected allegations that Tokyo could invoke the state’s immunity from the lawsuit, saying the case against war people was “anti-humanitarian”.
Japan’s largest government spokesman, Katsunobu Kato, told reporters in Tokyo that the ruling was unacceptable and strongly urged the South Korean government to restore the law, which he calls a violation of international law.
“According to the principle of sovereign immunity, the Japanese government can not be subject to the orders of a South Korean court. The case must be dismissed, “said Kato. “It is extremely unfortunate that this kind of verdict has been reached nonetheless,” Kato said.
In 2015, Japan and South Korea announced a “final and irreversible” agreement accompanied by a personal apology to the wives of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, as well as about $ 9.3 million for a compensation fund.
Some of the women argued and argued the agreement was made without consultations and violated their constitutional rights. South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who took office in 2017, effectively closed the fund and the rift between the two U.S. military allies that was essential to China’s growing global influence and North Korea’s nuclear ambitions control, broaden.
In September, Moon was beaten when prosecutors charged a lawmaker in his ruling party. Yoon Mee-hyang, claims she illegally transferred donations and state subsidies to a support group for comfort women when she took the lead.
Yoon denied the charges in the case that came to light last year when a survivor of the war abuse accused the group of raising funds to enrich himself and do nothing about women who were forced into sexual servitude to help.
Tensions flared further among neighbors after a series of South Korean court rulings in late 2018 demanding that Japan pay compensation to Koreans who were required to work at Japanese factories and mines during the country’s 1910-1945 colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula.
The US was forced to intervene when South Korea threatened in 2019 to withdraw from a joint intelligence-sharing agreement.
According to Japan, all claims were “fully and finally settled” under a 1965 agreement, which was accompanied by the treaty that established diplomatic ties between the two countries. In contrast, the Moon government believes that the individual suffering of many victims is not covered by the treaty.
Japan paid $ 300 million – $ 2.5 billion in today’s money – and extended $ 200 million in low-interest loans. The then struggling South Korea invested the money in industries that eventually contributed to it becoming an economic powerhouse.
Historians say between 50,000 and 200,000 women, many of them Koreans, were forced into Japan’s military brothels.
– Assisted by Gareth Allan
(Updates with Japan’s rejection of the fifth paragraph lawsuit)