2015-12-28 18:30:00

Japan apologizes to South Korea over WWII 'comfort women'


(Vatican Radio)  Japan and South Korea on Monday buried the hatchet over women and girls forced into sexual slavery during World War II. Japan's prime minister delivered an apology, and survivors will get access to compensation.

Listen to Alastair Wanklyn's report:

Meeting in Seoul, the Japanese and South Korean foreign ministers struck a deal to set up a multimillion-dollar fund to help women who were forced to work at Japanese military brothels.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe then telephoned his South Korean counterpart and apologised.

Speaking to reporters, Abe expressed "deep remorse" for what historians say were tens of thousands of women and girls, mostly from Asian countries, forced to travel with Japanese troops as prostitutes.

South Korea's President Park Geun-hye said what is at stake is the dignity of survivors.

They include 87-year-old Lee Yong-su, who this summer told United States legislators Japan was in denial about what its wartime authorities did.

Recently, the Japanese government has argued says there is no documentary evidence of state involvement in how the women ended up with the troops, but Monday's agreement acknowledges a state role.

The agreement now requires South Korea to lay the matter to rest and to cease haranguing Japan in public. Prime Minister Abe said future Japanese generations cannot be forced to apologize repeatedly for things they did not do.








All the contents on this site are copyrighted ©.