hankyoreh

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan speaks at NASA in Washington on Jan. 13. (Yonhap)

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said that he would “resolve” the pressing issue of compensation for victims of forced labor “as quickly as possible.”

It can be inferred that this means he will start talks surrounding the issue based on the proposal brought forward in the public debate held in South Korea on Thursday, which states that Korean companies will compensate victims instead of offending Japanese companies, and bring the issue to a speedy conclusion.

During a speech titled “Japan’s Decision at History’s Turning Point” given at John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies on Friday, Kishida said, “You may be worried about the relationship between Japan and the Republic of Korea, but I intend to resolve the bilateral issues of concern as quickly as possible, to restore sound Japan-ROK relations and then to further promote them.”

During another press conference held on Saturday, Kishida responded to a question about his thoughts on the proposal made by the Korean government by saying, “We have an agreement that we made based on the summit we had last year, and both diplomatic authorities are working hard on this issue.”

“We will continue to communicate closely with the Korean government to restore and develop Japan-ROK relations in a sound manner based on the foundation of friendly relations we have built since the normalization of diplomatic relations in 1956,” the prime minister said.

The agreement refers to the time when the two leaders agreed to “resolve” the issue early at the summit held on Nov. 13, 2022.

In contrast, the South Korean government has kept a low profile. Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had little to say either about Japanese media reports or the proposal made by the Foundation for Victims of Forced Mobilization by Imperial Japan, the body that’s supposed to implement the government’s plan.

“It’s just an idea by the foundation,” a ministry official said.

The government appears to be monitoring trends in public opinion given the strong objections to the proposal raised by the victims and the opposition party. In a phone call with the Hankyoreh, an official from the foundation dismissed rumors about a plan to raise the requisite funds via the Federation of Korean Industries and the Japan Business Federation as being “not factual.”

Groups representing the former conscript laborers themselves are ratcheting up their opposition. The Citizens’ Group on Imperial Japan’s Forced Mobilization will hold a press conference on Tuesday to protest the government’s decision not to confer a human rights award on Yang Geum-deok and to ask the authorities to investigate the interior minister, who is in charge of awards and decorations.

On the same day, civic groups in Gwangju are planning to hold a press conference denouncing the government’s proposed method of resolving the forced labor issue because it wouldn’t hold Japan responsible.

Debate is also igniting inside the National Assembly. The office of Lee Jae-jung, a lawmaker for the opposition Democratic Party, will organize a debate scrutinizing the Yoon administration’s foreign policy on Monday, and the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee will hold a plenary session on Tuesday to question the government about its plan to compensate the victims of forced labor.

By Kim So-youn, Tokyo correspondent; Shin Hyeong-cheol, staff reporter

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