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© KYODOJapan to uphold apology if South Korea settles wartime labor issue
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voiceofokinawa
The GOJ believes simple-mindedly that all the problems derived from Japan's occupation of Korea have been solved with the signing in 1965 of the Japan-ROK Treaty concerning the Basic Bilateral Relations.
Does this government-to-government treaty solve the civilian level problems that the Korean people hold deep in the mind?
JoshK
Japanese made a terribly stupid decision to not include the term "damages" in the treaty. The South Korean SC are interpreting the treaty as how any reasonable person would interpret it, so you can't fault them.
You can't assume that a treaty covers damages if you make no mention of it in the treaty.
Japan blaming SK for this issue is like Japan crying that SK doesn't have mind-reading abilities. Grow up, Japan. You look like a clown.
JoshK
@Happy Day
Read Samit Basu's post.
Nicolò
Japan will keep expressing remorse and apology as they have been so far and SK filed a lawsuit and will settle it themselves. So, what is "news" here?
Happy Day
Korean politicians need to maintain the hate in order to wield power over its people. They'll still be talking about WWII aggressions a thousand years from now if we're still around.
deanzaZZR
恨 for Japanese and Chinese readers.
Different “han”, I mean the Korean cultural concept 한
Samit Basu
@ReasonandWisdomNippon
Except that you can't find single instance of the word "damages" in the actual treaty text.
This is the reason why the Korean supreme court ruled that damages were not covered by the 1965 treaty unlike wages and savings, and awarded damages to the forced laborers.
And blame this situation on Japanese negotiators, who refused the inclusion of word damages in the treaty text proposed by Korean negotiators. Japanese position is that the annexation was legal, thus Japan did nothing wrong or illegal during its occupation of Korea.
Samit Basu
Just before the reply section closes, the supermajority of Korean public opposes Yoon's solution, backs plaintiff's solution of liquidation of Japanese assets.
https://mainichi.jp/articles/20230122/k00/00m/030/132000c
ReasonandWisdomNippon
1965 agreement between Japan and South Korea.
Took 15 years to be signed. Professors, intellectuals, many people from different fields participated and approved this agreement. It was not rushed, it was slow, with plenty of Korean input over a period of 15 years.
The agreement was supposed to cover everything. All damages, labor, anything Koreans complained about the 1965 agreement covered. No line left saying Korea can come back with new issues in the future, or the same issue but want to be paid again.
Hercolobus
Are regret, remorse and apology the same?
jeancolmar
If Japan would admit that so-called "wartime labor" was really Japanese wartime slave labor it would go a long way to ending the bad blood between Japan and South Korea. Confession is good for the soul.
ReasonandWisdomNippon
Japan and Korea are complete opposite! Don't matter your DNA test. Don't matter how much Japanese culture Koreans copy, you sir are very very different then Japanese.
Because of Korean inferiority complex, you can never move on from the past. Only 30 years of Japanese colonization!.... Not 300, not 3000, yet the Korean will cry more then black people or Jewish people!
Both North Korea and South Korea lies, break promises made, agreements signed as Final, take Japanese island illegally, but then expect Japan to recognize the island as Korean. Korean logic as always!
OssanAmerica
As much as South Korea has made anti-Japan sentiment a political and diplomatic tool progressively since the early 1990s, and reaching a crescendo with the NK appeasing Moon administration, and continuously moving the goalposts so that nothing is ever resolved, it appears now that SK has an administration that is taking it's own security seriously. And recognizing that relations with Japan are an inherent part of SK's national security as both nations are allied with and rely upon the United States. Just how serious the Yoon administration is can be seen in recent indications that South Korea may consider going nuclear to counter North Korea's nuclear arsenal. The South Korean public who have been so ingrained with anti-Japan sentiment must wake up to the reality that Japan is not their enemy. North Korea and it's backers China and Russia are.
ReasonandWisdomNippon
Japan's problems with South Korea!
Koreans both North and South have no honor! 0 honor! No respect for agreements signed or promises made!
Listen to Korean narrative! If you dig enough, they will tell you no apology will ever be good enough, no compensation ever be good enough, Koreans wants apology and compensation Forever and Ever! That's not what France,Poland or other countries did. Only Koreans go that low, that Victim mentality Forever!
North Korea poor, communist, signed agreements to give up the Nukes with USA in the 90s, what happened? ?Korean lied, shady, broke agreements signed, has nuclear weapons, and getting ready to test it's 7 Nuke!
Japan signed multiple agreements with South Korea. Multiple compensation, and over 50 apologies given!
Koreans will always find a way if allowed to break promises made, break agreements signed! Korea has no honor and it's actions speak louder then words! Double, triple faced Korea!
ReasonandWisdomNippon
South Korea is not sincere about ending historical issues!
South Korea has become spoiled, and accustomed to apologies and compensation whenever they ask for. For whatever reason they want or demand!
Did one Japanese say something or did something Koreans disapprove? Or side with Korean narrative?
Deal off Japan! We found one Japanese to say something we like, so deal off! We want a new deal, with new money and new apology!
Jennie
@Jansob
Really appreciate your feedback and a little chilling..
Thanks for your constructive feedback. Allows me to look into other perspectives….
Ricky Kaminski13
itsonlyrocknroll
Am a believer mate, in people. Bureaucrats not so much...
Stephen Chin
In Malaya, now Malasia, I was a child of 12 when Japanese soldiers cycled down the peninsula from Siam, now Thailand as The South East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere spread from Japan across Korea, China, the Phillipines, French Indo China, Burma and, Indonesia to Northern Australia and the Pacific island nations. I remember seeing in the market place of Teluk Anson now Teluk Intan, three decapitated heads of the town's citizens, on poles, in the sun, surrounded by bluebottle flies. To cut a long story short, I must say that Japan has much to apologise for to all the above named countries.
itsonlyrocknroll
Ricky Kaminski13, nobody, country or otherwise can disagree with your heartfelt sentiments.
The world we both live in has evolved for better or for worse.
It is in our so called evolved intellect to accept change,
Facing forward.
However so simple said, so difficult to enact.
OssanAmerica
You don't have to be a separate racial group to have DNA that has characteristrics that can be differentiated from other even close ethinc groups within the same race. Read the article.
https://bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1741-7007-6-45
Ricky Kaminski13
It would be great if the two countries found the right amount of goodwill, words, and gestures to finally get over the yelling, finger-pointing, denying, mounting and carry-on. The utility of victimhood needs a look, as does half-arsed attempts to say something but not really. A forward-thinking class of leaders that want to put WW2 finally behind them. people that know how to communicate and understand both sides. Iit shouldnt be too hard but s it possible? So far, no.
Still believe in the power of speeches to inspire everyone to stop behaving like children. so much to gain itoo if they got their acts together.
Concerned Citizen
Forget the 75 year+ old past. It's a waste of precious time.
itsonlyrocknroll
There are no deals for either party, other than the Treaty both signed.
If there is a form of arbitration that is for the ICJ to formerly adjudicate
itsonlyrocknroll
This cynical crazy carousel of quote instance of a political need for regretful acknowledgement of an offence stops now.
The current Japanese people have devoted there lives to peaceful consistence.
With NK testing there ballistic missiles and developing weapons of mass destruction.
And to add insult to injury, if one care to remember SK has continued to spit and crass at Japan, its people over the blood soaked dictatorship of NK.
itsonlyrocknroll
There is a clear methodology within the signed treaty to arbitration, even third party independent examination and judgment.
Both need to carefully take note
OssanAmerica
Neverending false information. Japanese DNA are closely related to Tibet. Not Han China. The Yaoi people crossed over from the Korean Penninsula to mix with the Jomon.
"Y chromosome evidence of earliest modern human settlement in East Asia and multiple origins of Tibetan and Japanese populations"
https://bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1741-7007-6-45
OssanAmerica
The LDP has never retracted the position expressed in the Murayama Statement. Even Abe Shinzp gave South Korea a Prime Ministerial Apology as requested to conclude the "Permanent and Irreversible) 2015 Comfort Women Agreement that both nations signed but Pres Moon ripped up.
OssanAmerica
As usual, goofy innacuarate history not worth pondering.
Korean Kingdoms were tributary states of China's numerous dynasties. Not a"friendship" but a Master and Servant position. Trade between them was always strong, Until red pepper from China came to Korea, even Kimchi was not red.
Japan under Hideyoshi attacked Korea 2 times unsucessfully. In both cases in an effort to go through Korea to attack the Ming dynasty. In 1895 the Sino-Japanese War ended with the Qing Dynasty's defeat. In addition to handing over Taiwan to Japan, the Qing were forced by Japan to recognize Korean sovereignty. Korea, under Yuan Dynasty rule attackedJapan 2 times unsuccesfully.
In 1950 North Korea attacked South Korea and China (Peoples Republic of China) sent 250,000 troops into the Korean Peninsula to kill South Korean and UN troops. Those in the ROK military would take offense at your comment. North Korea of course is tied to PRC through the 1961 Defense Treaty that commits PRC to defend North Korea from attack. I repeat again, read and study history before posting nonsense.
itsonlyrocknroll
Japan and South Korea signed a treaty that restored relations.
It is not now for either SK or Japan to surreptitiously re-negotiate a signed treaty.
Only review within the signed treaties, that quote establishes obligations between two or more subjects of international law ...
Binding arbitration under the terms of the treaty agreement .
Japan to uphold apology if South Korea settles wartime labor issue.
No way, morally abhorrent, it is akin to suggesting a faustian deal.
Mark
Again!? Does anyone really know what S. Korea really wants???
elephant200
Murayama was a Prime Minister of Japanese social democratic party. The L.D.P. can say: We never ever have apologized from our party(L.D.P.)'s perspective and history stance.
That was how insincerely were they(L.D.P.)!
Jennie
Can someone explain the difference of the “concept” of Han between the Chinese and Korean? It was a Chinese dynasty that assimilated its culture to Korea from my understanding. How is this relevant this topic in discussion?
elephant200
Japan never made sincerely apology, that was for sure. Yes they can for apologize to apologize today, tomorrow they will back track their stance or better known as :Unapologetic Statement!
serendipitous1
nondualism
Please elaborate on the 'duress' you referred to.
gogogo
2015 signed by both countries, wording literally said "resolved finally and irreversibly". Yet Korea effectively ripping this agreement up keeping the issue alive.
gogogo
Is this 2015 all over again? Korea just can't let this go no matter what signed agreements say. Japan even paid a large amount of money in 2015 but Korea turned around and wanted to return the money and not give it to victims. To this day it sits there unspent.
cenobite
“ Sorry about the war,”
” Apology accepted. It was a long time ago. Let’s move on.”
” Yes. Thanks.”
CrashTestDummy
It is in both Japan and Korea's best interests to be on better terms for economic trade, since there is a lot of uncertainty with China right now.
Cricky
Can you withdraw an apology? And if so doesn’t that make the apology a fleeting thing rather the an actually real apology in the fist place? Sorry I apologize for burning your house down…..thought about it and no I did it on purpose. So I withdraw my apology. Seems fair now I say it out loud. Boy are my kids going to get it tonight.
Fredrik
The solution to all problems (both in the good and the bad sense).