Tokyo apologizes to Seoul
Source: Agencies |
August 11, 2010, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
JAPAN apologized yesterday to South Korea for its colonial rule over the country, seeking to strengthen ties between the two countries ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Japanese annexation of the Korean Peninsula.
During Japan's occupation from 1910-45, many Koreans were forced to fight as front-line soldiers, work in slave-labor conditions or serve as prostitutes in brothels operated by the military.
"For the enormous damage and suffering caused by this colonization, I would like to express once again our deep remorse and sincerely apologize," Prime Minister Naoto Kan said in a statement approved by the Cabinet.
The statement apologized specifically to South Korea, in contrast to earlier apologies by Japan for wartime actions made broadly to the country's Asian neighbors. Japan has no diplomatic relations with North Korea, which had no immediate response to Kan's apology.
South Korea accepted the apology, although President Lee Myung-bak does not plan an official response.
"We hope that through proper recognition and reflection of the unfortunate history, close bilateral relations can further develop into a partnership for the future," said South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Kim Young-sun.
Kan also said his country would soon return some Korean cultural artifacts, including historical documents, that it captured while occupying the region.
During Japan's occupation from 1910-45, many Koreans were forced to fight as front-line soldiers, work in slave-labor conditions or serve as prostitutes in brothels operated by the military.
"For the enormous damage and suffering caused by this colonization, I would like to express once again our deep remorse and sincerely apologize," Prime Minister Naoto Kan said in a statement approved by the Cabinet.
The statement apologized specifically to South Korea, in contrast to earlier apologies by Japan for wartime actions made broadly to the country's Asian neighbors. Japan has no diplomatic relations with North Korea, which had no immediate response to Kan's apology.
South Korea accepted the apology, although President Lee Myung-bak does not plan an official response.
"We hope that through proper recognition and reflection of the unfortunate history, close bilateral relations can further develop into a partnership for the future," said South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Kim Young-sun.
Kan also said his country would soon return some Korean cultural artifacts, including historical documents, that it captured while occupying the region.
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