On the 8th, a district court in Seoul granted the plaintiff's complaint in a trial seeking damages from the Japanese government, saying that 12 former Korean comfort women were "mentally distressed". In response, the plaintiffs were sentenced to pay 100 million won, or about 9.5 million yen in Japanese yen.

It is inevitable that Japan-South Korea relations will cool further.

Twelve former Korean comfort women were told by the Japanese government in 2013 that they had suffered mental distress due to anti-humanitarian criminal acts, totaling 1.2 billion won, or about 114,400 yen. After filing a mediation request with the Seoul Central District Court for damages of 10,000 yen, a trial was filed and the trial began in April last year.



The Government of Japan did not attend the trial, saying that the complaint should be dismissed from the principle of "sovereign immunity" under international law, which states that sovereign states are not subject to the jurisdiction of other countries.



The Seoul Central District Court of the first instance said in a ruling on the 8th that the principle of "sovereign immunity" was "a planned and systematic anti-humanitarian criminal act and should not be applied". He ruled that the principle of "sovereign immunity" does not apply to the court.



After that, he admitted all the complaints of the plaintiffs, saying that "the plaintiffs were forced to suffer severe mental and physical pain that is hard to imagine", and to the Japanese government, 100 million won per plaintiff, about 9.5 million yen in Japanese yen. In total, I ordered a payment of about 114 million yen.



Regarding the comfort women issue, in addition to this trial, a trial decision of a trial in which 20 former Korean comfort women and their bereaved families are seeking damages from the Japanese government will be handed down on the 13th next week.



In South Korea, a ruling ordering Japanese companies to compensate for "recruitment" during the Pacific War has been finalized, and procedures are underway to sell assets.



It is inevitable that Japan-South Korea relations will further cool down as the Japanese government has been sentenced to compensate for the comfort women issue.

Chief Cabinet Secretary "I can't accept it with regret."

In response to the ruling, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato stated at a press conference after the Cabinet meeting that he was "extremely regrettable and absolutely unacceptable," and revealed that the Japanese government had strongly protested.



In this, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato stated, "Due to the principle of exemption from sovereignty under international law, the Japanese government is not allowed to submit to the jurisdiction of South Korea, and the proceedings must be dismissed. I've done it. "



"The issue of property and claims between Japan and South Korea, including the comfort women issue, was completely and finally resolved in the 1965 Japan-Korea Claims and Economic Cooperation Agreement, and in the 2015 Japan-Korea Agreement. A "final and irreversible solution" has also been confirmed between the two governments. Nevertheless, it is extremely regrettable that such a ruling was issued, and the Japanese government cannot accept it. I protested very strongly. "



He added, "I urge South Korea to take appropriate measures as a nation to correct violations of international law. In a similar proceeding scheduled to be decided on the 13th of this month, the proceedings must be dismissed, and South Korea I urge the government to take appropriate measures in accordance with the Japan-Korea agreement. "



On the other hand, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato said, "From the standpoint that the Japanese government is not allowed to submit to the jurisdiction of South Korea due to the principle of exemption from sovereignty under international law, the Japanese government has no intention of appealing."

Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs protests against South Korean Ambassador to Japan

On the morning of the 8th, South Korea's Ambassador to Japan, Secretary-General Akiba of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, received a ruling from the district court in Seoul ordering the Japanese government to compensate the women of the former comfort women over the comfort women issue. And protested that the ruling was extremely regrettable.



A district court in Seoul told the Japanese government on the 8th that 12 former Korean comfort women were "mentally distressed" and were seeking damages from the Japanese government. He sentenced him to pay 100 million won, or about 9.5 million yen in Japanese yen.



In response to this, Secretary-General Akiba of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called South Korea's Ambassador to Japan Nam Gwang-pyo to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at around 11:30 am on the 8th and met for about 10 minutes, protesting that the decision was extremely regrettable. ..



After the visit, Ambassador Nam told reporters, "I heard the position of the Japanese government in relation to this decision. We will make efforts to resolve it so as not to affect Japan-South Korea relations. ".