Japanese Ruling Party Opposes South Korea's Comfort Women Verdict, Calls for International Court of Justice Appeal

As Japan declared a state of emergency to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the traditional market in Ueno, Tokyo, was bustling with shoppers on the 11th. In Tokyo, over 1,200 new confirmed cases were reported that day, indicating that the spread of COVID-19 has not yet subsided. The Japanese government declared a state of emergency on the 8th for four metropolitan areas in the capital region to curb the spread of COVID-19 and is also considering expanding it to other regions.

The Japanese government is facing strong backlash within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) over a South Korean court ruling ordering compensation to victims of the Japanese military's wartime sexual slavery.

According to Kyodo News on the 12th, at the LDP Foreign Affairs Committee meeting held that day, there were calls for the Japanese government to take countermeasures, including filing a case with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against the comfort women compensation ruling.

Sato Masahisa, chairman of the LDP Foreign Affairs Committee, said the ruling "violates international law and cannot be overlooked," and a LDP lawmaker argued that the South Korean government's expression of respect for the ruling is a "major diplomatic issue," the news agency reported.

There were also opinions that measures such as delaying the appointment of Aiboshi Koichi as the Japanese ambassador to South Korea are necessary.

In response, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said, "We are considering all options."

Since the South Korean government does not recognize the ICJ's compulsory jurisdiction, even if the Japanese government pursues a case at the ICJ, it is expected to have little practical effect.

At the Foreign Affairs Committee, there were also opinions that the so-called "business track" exchanges currently conducted with 11 countries and regions, including South Korea and China, should be suspended.

Lawmaker supporters of suspending the business track stated that it is difficult to completely prevent infections through quarantine, and that exceptions for the business track are unlikely to gain the sympathy of Japanese citizens, who are being asked to refrain from going out to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.