In a historic ruling on January 1st, Japan was ordered by a South Korean court to pay compensation to 12 South Korean ‘comfort women,’ who were all victims of sexual slavery. It is a ruling over Japan’s wartime atrocities which has strained relations between the two countries for decades, with the court decision reigniting tensions.
The Seoul Central District Court called the forced sexual slavery of women and girls by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second World War, “A crime against humanity,” as reported by the Associated Press. The victims sued the Japanese government in 2016 for kidnapping, sexual violence, and torture during the war. The ruling indicated that most of the women were younger than 25 during the occupation of Korea, and were constantly subjected to forced sexual acts by Japanese troops every day. The court adds that while there are existing deals between the South Korean and Japanese governments, they do not prevent the individual victims from seeking compensation for damages. With the court’s ruling, Tokyo has been ordered to pay each woman in the lawsuit 100 million won, or $91,360. After the ruling, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the government “respects the court judgement and will make every effort it can to restore the honour and dignity of the ‘comfort woman’ victims.”
In an interview with the New York Times, the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan remarked that this was a “landmark ruling.”
However, Japan is unlikely to obey the ruling as shown by its immediate objection and strong criticism from Japanese officials. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga expressed that Japan would not accept the court’s decision and that the lawsuit should be dropped. Furthermore, Suga’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato called the ruling “extremely regrettable” and “absolutely unacceptable,” according to Reuters’ press conference feed. Kato stated that Japan was not subject to South Korean jurisdiction and that “We strongly demand that South Korea as a country take an appropriate response to correct this breach of international law.”
Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Akiba directed South Korean Ambassador Nam Gwan-pyo to submit a strong protest, which led Nam to say he would strive to prevent the court’s ruling from having “undesirable impact” on relations and to respond calmly to resolve the issue.
According to a United Nations report, it is estimated that up to 200,000 women and girls from South Korea, as well as other Asian countries, were forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops. Women would be recruited for military brothels by the Japanese army through deception, coercion, and force. “A large number of the women speak of violence used on family members who tried to prevent the abduction of their daughters and, in some cases, of being raped by soldiers in front of their parents before being forcibly taken off,” the report states. Reminders of Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean peninsula remains a bitter point in the two countries’ relationship. Many of the still-living ‘comfort women,’ a Japanese euphemism for the victims, demand Tokyo’s compensation, and above all else, its formal apology.
Approximately 90 per cent of the “comfort women” victims died by the end of World War II. The women soon became societal outcasts, and many more died after the war from sexually transmitted diseases and complications from the physical abuse they endured, as well as suicide. While Japan finally acknowledged the atrocities in 1993, the issue has since remained highly divisive with some Japanese officials continuing to downplay or entirely deny the women’s existence. In 2017, a statue of a young girl to remember the atrocities was erected by a civil group outside the Japanese consulate in Busan, South Korea, causing strong objections from Tokyo for its removal and deteriorating relations since.
It should be noted that as diplomatic efforts are being currently conducted between Seoul and Tokyo to resolve the issue, the subject of the ‘comfort women’ continues to be a significant thorn in South Korean-Japanese relations. A possible solution to improve diplomacy could be for a third-party country, such as a mutual ally of both countries, to act as a mediator. While the U.S. has mediated this disagreement in the past, some feel that President Trump’s disregard for America’s allies has allowed the dispute to continue unresolved. However, under the new incoming Biden administration, promises to turn away from Trump’s “America First” policy gives way for renewed diplomatic efforts as a key mediator. With South Korea and Japan’s feud now spilling over into regional security cooperation with Washington, the Biden administration may perceive a resolution to this conflict as a higher priority to maintain peace and stability in Asia.
