Abe's sincerity questioned

Two Japanese daily newspapers published Wednesday carry front-page reports about Korea's landmark agreement with Japan over Tokyo's sexual enslavement of Korean women before and during World War II. On the right, the Sankei Shimbun reported that Korea allegedly reneged on its promise to give up its bid for UNESCO world documentary heritage of Tokyo's wartime sex slavery despite the deal. The Asahi Shimbun, on the left, reported that Korea agreed to remove a statue of a Korean girl across the street from the Japanese Embassy in Seoul as a precondition to receive 1 billion yen in compensation to help the former Korean sex slaves. / Yonhap

By Yi Whan-woo

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks to reporters after South Korea and Japan reached an agreement on "comfort women" in Tokyo, Monday. / Yonhap

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made it clear that he will no longer apologize to Korea over "comfort women," casting doubts on the sincerity of his related apology made at landmark agreement between the two nations, Monday.

Abe said all issues concerning Tokyo's sexual enslavement of Korean women before and during World War II are over under the deal struck between the foreign ministers of the two nations in Seoul, according to Japan's Sankei Shimbun newspaper, Wednesday.

He cited that he offered a "heartfelt apology" to elderly Korean victims as one of the key points of the "final and irreversible" resolution to settle the historical dispute, which was the biggest obstacle to break a diplomatic impasse.

Abe added any sex slavery-related issues should not now be brought up between Korea and Japan regardless of any diplomatic circumstances, including a summit.

"It will be the end of Korea as a member of the international community if it breaks its promise," Abe was quoted as saying by the Sankei Shimbun.

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se warned Wednesday that Tokyo should refrain from using "any words and behavior that can be misunderstood," claiming the deal between him and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida was the result of "hard labor."

"It's crucial to implement our agreement faithfully and promptly, and I hope it will lead to a cycle of mutual trust between the two nations."

Meanwhile, analysts speculated that Tokyo's main interest at the agreement was to prevent its global image being further tarnished by its wartime atrocities, not healing emotional wounds of former Korean sex slaves.

Koreans accounted for a majority of the "comfort women," a euphemistic term for those who were coerced into sexual servitude at front-line brothels run by the Japanese Army during World War II.

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"It should be noted that Abe, an ultra nationalist, was extremely concerned with clearing up any problems that can make his country a violator of international women's rights," said Park Won-gon, an international relations professor at Handong University.

Park also said Abe was politically-motivated when he repeatedly stressed that the future generations of Japan should not be held accountable for its wartime past.

"Japan is seeking to win international recognition in its leadership, and it knows too well that its violation of women's rights has been a burden to underscore other positive aspects of its history worldwide."

The statue of a girl, a symbol of Japan's sexual slavery, is surrounded by activists and citizens during the weekly rally in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, Wednesday. The participants oppose the agreement between Korea and Japan, according to which the government will consult with civic groups over the possibility of relocating the statue. / Yonhap

Lee Myeon-woo, a senior researcher at the Sejong Institute, voiced a similar view, saying that Japan is citing the agreement at the foreign ministerial talks as a means to pressure Korea over the issue.

One of the key points states that the two nations will refrain from blaming each other on the global stage, including U.N. meetings, over Tokyo's sex slavery.

Kishida then said Korea is not expected to join forces with China to win UNESCO recognition for their joint documentary records concerning Japan's state-perpetrated sex crimes.

The Chinese government offered to cooperate with Korea in October to register their collection of documentary records that hold details of "comfort women" as a UNESCO world documentary heritage.

Other Japanese media also reported Wednesday that it will be seen as a violation of the agreement if Korea does not remove the statue of a Korean girl situated across the street from the Japanese Embassy in downtown Seoul.

The statue symbolizes the war crimes perpetrated against Korean "comfort women."

"According to those media, Japan will claim that it has the right to refuse to offer 1 billion yen ($8.3 million) to support surviving victims if the statue is not removed," Lee said.

"The agreement Monday was aimed at healing emotional wounds of the victims, but such a claim does not help the victims at all. And you can see that Tokyo's main interest was to improve its national brand image."