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Korea's efforts to pressure Japan to take responsibility for its past wrongdoings may
be paying dividends. Japan has denied that it has plans to make
changes to its official apology to the Korean victims of wartime *** slavery.
It is, however, sticking to its stance that the victims were compensated under a bilateral
treaty signed in 1965. Connie Kim reports.
Japan's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Takashi Okada, said Tokyo, contrary to earlier suggestions,
has never spoken of reviewing the 1993 Kono statement, in which then-Chief Cabinet Secretary
Yohei Kono apologized to the victims of Japan's sex slavery.
"Since then the position of the government of Japan has not changed at all. The government
of Japan has never spoke of reviewing the Kono-statement."
Back in Geneva, Okada said the Japanese government had fully compensated the victims through
a 1965 treaty that normalized Korea's economic and diplomatic relations after its liberation
from Japan.
Late last month, Suga said Tokyo would re-examine the testimony given by former sex slaves as
the government at the time did not verify the victims' remarks.
Following Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se's remarks... Yoo Yeon-cheol, Deputy Chief of
South Korea UN mission urged Japan to admit to and take responsibility for its military's
past use of sex slaves.
"The political leaders and common officials of Japan have recently tried to deny the Kono-statement
of 1993."
South Korea wasn't alone in criticizing Tokyo for its past actions and current inaction.
The North Korean and Chinese ambassadors to the UN said the Japanese government was trying
to deny and hide its past wrongdoings. The U.S. ambassador to Japan, Caroline Kennedy,
on Thursday called on Korea and Japan to improve relations and said the U.S. will do what it
can to help. Connie Kim, Arirang News.