Japanese Prime Minister rejects further action on comfort women agreement

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe walks to meet with reporters at his Tokyo residence on Jan. 12.

Japan will “never accept South Korea’s unilateral demands for further measures,” says Abe

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe walks to meet with reporters at his Tokyo residence on Jan. 12.

The Japanese administration under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stated that it will never accept the South Korean government’s follow-up measures to the two countries’ comfort women agreement. During a meeting with reporters at his residence on Jan. 12, Abe said that “the comfort women agreement was a promise between two governments, and keeping such a promise is an international and universal principle,” the Japanese press reported. Abe was also quoted as saying that Japan would “never accept South Korea’s unilateral demands for further measures.”

Abe’s reference to an “international and universal principle” appears to be a jab at the request made by South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Jan. 9 for Japan to “acknowledge the truth in line with international and universal standards” when she announced the follow-up measures.

After the South Korean Foreign Ministry announced its follow-up measures, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono and others fired back that Japan would “never accept” the measures and that they would not “move an inch on the agreement.” Now Prime Minister Abe himself has stated his position on the matter.

“Japan has sincerely implemented the agreement, and we will ask South Korea to keep implementing it as well,” Abe said. There were also some reports in the Japanese media that Abe had postponed his decision to attend the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics as a sign of his displeasure.

Previously, the South Korean government asked Japan to make a voluntary and genuine apology and to strive to heal the injuries of the former comfort women. Seoul also declared that it would allocate funds from the government budget to cover the one billion yen (US$ 9 million) that Japan donated to the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation.

By Kim Mi-na, staff reporter

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