Japan will pay compensation to women forced to work in Japanese brothels during World War II, a South Korean court has ruled.
How tells The Japan Times, More than 200,000 “pleasure women” suffered under the Japanese military brothel system before and during World War II, forced into prostitution – Koreans, as well as people from mainland China, Indonesia, the Philippines and Taiwan.
The lawsuit was filed by a group of sixteen people – one victim and relatives of the dead women – in 2016. Five years later, in 2021, it was rejected by the Seoul Central District Court, which cited Japan’s sovereign immunity, an international law concept under which a state has immunity from the jurisdiction of a court in another country.
However, the Seoul Supreme Court overturned the decision and ruled that the military’s abduction and forced sexual relations with women violated international treaties and Japanese criminal law. The Court also noted that international law generally does not recognize the sovereign immunity of the offending country when it comes to illegal acts suffered by a citizen in his own country.
The court ordered the Japanese government to pay 200 million won ($154,000) in compensation to each woman involved in the lawsuit who was forced to provide sexual services. Former “entertainment woman” Lee Yong-soo, 94, said:
“I think Japan should ask for a sincere apology from the plaintiffs and pay compensation in accordance with the court’s decision.”
Japan called the court’s decision “extremely pathetic and completely unacceptable.” writes Air Force. Yoko Kamikawa, Japan’s Foreign Minister, said: “Japan once again urges the Republic of Korea to immediately take appropriate measures to correct its state of violations of international law.”
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