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Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga

The Japanese government criticized South Korea for “attempting to shift responsibility” following President Moon Jae-in’s criticisms of Japan’s approach to the issue of damages for forced labor conscription in his recent New Year’s press conference.

Speaking in his own regular press conference on Jan. 11, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said, “The [1965] Japan-South Korean Claims Settlement Agreement is binding for all parties involved [in the agreement’s signing], including the judiciary.”

“The moment the South Korean Supreme Court’s ruling [ordering damages to be paid to forced labor mobilization victims] was finalized last year, a state of violation of that agreement was created. Responsibility for correcting that state of violation obviously lies with South Korea,” he continued.

“It is very serious that the plaintiffs are proceeding with steps to seize [the South Korean assets of the Japanese company in question] without any concrete measures to date from the South Korean government,” Suga added.

“President Moon’s remarks appear to be an attempt to shift South Korea’s own responsibilities onto Japan and are extremely dismaying,” he said.

In his New Year’s press conference on Jan. 10, Moon insisted that the South Korean government “cannot involve itself in judicial decisions” and “must respect court rulings.”

“This issue [of compensation for forced mobilization damages] is not something created by the South Korean government. I think the Japanese government should adopt a position of humility,” he added.

Suga did not make explicit reference to other potential response measures Tokyo may take besides its request for bilateral discussions for a “resolution through diplomatic pathways” as stipulated in the Claims Settlement Agreement as a procedure for dispute settlements.

The Japanese press also adopted a critical tone in its reporting on Moon’s press conference remarks. In a Jan. 11 editorial titled “Moon must not justify things away as [Supreme Court] ‘ruling,’” the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper wrote, “Past South Korean administrations acknowledged that the claims of conscripted workers [the Japanese media’s term for victims of forced labor] were included as subject to the terms of the [1965 Claims Settlement] Agreement.”

“The South Korean Supreme Court has ignored these circumstances,” it complained.

The editorial went on to say Japan “will be obliged to consider bringing the case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) if South Korea does not respond to [Japan’s request for] discussions.”　

By Cho Ki-weon, Tokyo correspondent

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