Seoul – South Korea’s war sex slaves, euphemistically known as “women of consolation,” won their first legal victory against the Japanese government in a decisive ruling in Seoul on Friday. The Seoul Central District Court ordered the Japanese government to pay reparations of 100 million won ($ 91,300) each to the families of 12 women who were forced to work as sex slaves in the Japanese army during Japanese colonization. of Korea.
The court appealed to Japan only forcing the women five of which are still alive – being sex slaves “a crime against humanity.” It was said that women were forced into servitude when Japan “illegally occupied” the Korean peninsula between 1910 and 1945, arguing that the illegality of this occupation means that Japan’s contemporary sovereign immunity cannot protect it from legal proceedings.
The case in which the sentence was handed down on Friday opened in April last year. The Japanese government has never been involved, insisting that the lawsuit should be dismissed on the grounds that “the state is immune from the jurisdiction of the court of a foreign country.”
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The chief secretary of the Japanese cabinet, Katsunobu Kato, said on Friday that Japan would not appeal the ruling, as in doing so would put the country under South Korean jurisdiction.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Japan could not accept the court’s ruling, while Kato considered it “unacceptable” and urged Seoul to take “appropriate measures” to have it revoked.
Japan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Takeo Akiba summoned South Korean Ambassador Nam Gwan-pyo to Tokyo to present an “extremely strong protest.” Ambassador Nam said he will strive to prevent the ruling from having an “undesirable impact” on bilateral ties.
Even the South Korean Foreign Ministry said that while it respected the court’s rulings, “the government recognizes the formal agreement of the two governments that was made in December 2015.”
That deal included a formal apology from then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and a $ 8.3 million aid fund created by Tokyo for former sex slaves. From Japan’s perspective, the deal drew a line under the decades-long scandal.
The plight of “women of consolation” has been a key point of friction between the two Asian nations for more than half a century.
The victims were mostly Korean, but the Japanese army picked up sex slaves in most countries where it had forces during World War II. There were even British and Dutch women.
“We welcome the historic victory that opened a new horizon,” said a victim advocacy group in Seoul that talks about the women who filed lawsuits against Japan.
“Victims have repeatedly stated publicly about the damage and demanded a solution based on a victim-centered approach, but have been repeatedly ignored,” Japan said in a statement to the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the issues of military sexual slavery.
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The group, noting that only a handful of victims remain alive, urged the Japanese government to quickly comply with what it said was an obligation to fulfill its “responsibility,” and fully investigate the army’s actions and teach a version. most accurate in history in Japan. .
Amnesty International Korea also welcomed the court ruling on Friday, with director Jihyun Yoon calling it an “important decision” and noted in a statement that it was “the first time a South Korean court has acknowledged responsibility.” of the Japanese government for the Japanese sexual slavery and paved the way for restoring justice to survivors. “
Jihyun called on Japan to “follow the court’s decision and take immediate steps to provide reparations to the victims of sexual slavery” and to issue a “complete and complete apology to the survivors.”