Japanese Foreign Minister: "Japan's Government Position Remains Unchanged Even If South Korean Foreign Minister Changes"

Motegi Toshimitsu, Japanese Foreign Minister
Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunbyeol Kim] Motegi Toshimitsu, Japan's Foreign Minister, stated that although South Korea has appointed a new foreign minister, the Japanese government's position on bilateral issues such as the comfort women issue remains unchanged.

At a press conference that afternoon, when asked about the role expected of the newly appointed South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, Motegi responded, "The two countries are important neighbors to each other, but the relationship is in an unprecedentedly difficult situation as international agreements have been broken by South Korea over the years, and bilateral agreements have not been implemented."

He continued, "The Japanese government remains firm in demanding appropriate responses from the South Korean side based on a consistent position," emphasizing that this stance remains the same despite the change in South Korea's foreign minister. He also added, "At the same time, we will continue communication between diplomatic authorities and closely watch for concrete proposals from the South Korean side to resolve the issues."

The Japanese government claims that South Korean court rulings ordering Japanese companies and the government to compensate forced labor and comfort women victims violate the 1965 Korea-Japan Claims Agreement, which is an agreement between the two countries, and the 2015 diplomatic agreement on comfort women. Therefore, Japan demands that the South Korean government refuse to implement the rulings and present corrective measures.

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