Japanese media critical of new comfort woman statue in Busan

Posted on : 2017-01-02 16:30 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Reports from across the spectrum also hint at possible revisiting of comfort women agreement after presidential election
A child takes poses for a photo next to the comfort woman statue in front of the Japanese consulate in Busan
A child takes poses for a photo next to the comfort woman statue in front of the Japanese consulate in Busan

Japanese news outlets on both the left and right are publishing pieces critical of the recent installation of a comfort woman statue in front of the Japanese consulate in Busan.

The Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported on Jan. 1 that Tokyo was “demanding the removal” of the statue of a young girl, which was placed in front of the consulate on Dec. 30.

“Disgruntlement is intensifying in Japan over the installation [of the statue] at a time when no progress has been made in the relocation of [another] statue near the Japanese embassy in Seoul,” the report noted.

The newspaper went on to quote Japanese Foreign Ministry sources as saying that the agreement reached between the South Korean and Japanese governments on the comfort women issue on Dec. 28, 2015, was “a solemn pledge made by the two countries’ Foreign Ministers” and that “responsibility [for the statue] cannot be placed on the local government.” It also reported frustration among sources close to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, one of whom criticized the refusal to remove the statue - despite Japan having paid one billion yen (US$8.6 million) to South Korea in accordance with the agreement - as being “just like voice phishing.”

 Dec. 28. (Yonhap News)
Dec. 28. (Yonhap News)

The Nikkei Newspaper also reported that the new statue “adds a new potential source of discord in bilateral relations with no removal [yet] of the Seoul statue,” while the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said the situation “once again shows that an understanding of the Japan-South Korea agreement [in 2015] has not spread in South Korea.”

While the Dec. 2015 agreement did commit the South Korean government to making “efforts” to relocate the Seoul statue, it does not actually promise its removal per se.

The Japanese news outlets also expressed concerns about South Korea’s upcoming presidential election. The Nikkei noted that while President Park Geun-hye “reached an irreversible agreement” on the comfort women issue, South Korea “could demand renegotiation [after abandoning the basic agreement] depending on the outcome of the presidential election.” The Asahi Shimbun even mentioned the possibility of retaliatory actions from Tokyo in response, noting that “the currency swap agreement revival Seoul has been demanding could be stymied.”

By Gil Yun-hyung, Tokyo correspondent

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

 

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