Major Foreign Media Unanimously Call Japan's Ruling in Favor of Comfort Women Victims a "Significant Verdict"

Tensions Rise Between Two Allies Ahead of Joe Biden Administration Inauguration
Also Seen as a Headache for U.S. Foreign Policy

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Foreign media focused their attention on the first-ever victory of former Japanese military comfort women in a damages lawsuit against the Japanese government on the 8th, calling it a "significant ruling" and a "groundbreaking decision."

On the day, The New York Times (NYT) reported the ruling in detail from Seoul, describing it as a "symbolic case."

The NYT stated, "There is a possibility that the chill between two key U.S. allies in Asia could worsen," but also noted, "The U.S. government's calculations to bring South Korea and Japan closer together in response to the North Korean nuclear threat and China's military buildup in Asia will become more complicated."

Additionally, the NYT quoted Yoon Ji-hyun, Secretary General of Amnesty International Korea, saying, "This ruling is significant in that the Korean court held the Japanese government accountable for the Japanese military comfort women."

Bloomberg News, in an article titled 'South Korean Government Orders Japan to Compensate Comfort Women,' analyzed it as a "groundbreaking decision that raised tensions among U.S. allies just before Joe Biden's inauguration."

French AFP also pointed out, "The deepening rift between South Korea and Japan will be a headache for the incoming Biden administration, which aims to build a united front against China and North Korea's nuclear threats."

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