Lawsuits Expected After Japan Refuses to Compensate Sex Slaves
An activist Friday predicted a long political and legal battle following Tokyo’s refusal to pay compensation for thousands of Korean women forced to serve as sex slaves during World War II.
Japan can expect additional lawsuits as well as pressure from Korean women’s groups and the Seoul government, said Yun Chung-ok, head of the Korean Council for the Women Drafted Under Japanese Rule.
“Tens of thousands of Korean women were subjected to an unspeakable crime,” said Yun. “It’s part of the worst chapter in Korean history--a thoroughly planned crime, repeated over and over again.”
Documents discovered in January refuted Japan’s contention that battlefield brothels were not organized by the military, and Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa apologized last month during a visit to Seoul.
But on Thursday, his office said Japan would not pay compensation.
Japan contends that war reparations were settled in 1965 when it paid $800 million and normalized relations with South Korea.
Historians say between 70,000 and 200,000 young Korean women, some 11 and 12 years old, were forced to become so-called “comfort girls” for soldiers in the Japanese Imperial Army.
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