Japan Recalls Ambassador to South Korea Over 'Comfort Women' Statue Erection

Japan has recalled its ambassador from South Korea in connection with the new statue, dedicated to "comfort women" that was erected in the city of Busan in front of the Consulate General of Japan, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Commenting on the occasion, Suga said that Seoul failed to resolve the issue of erecting monuments to "comfort women" on request of Tokyo.

"We have repeatedly asked South Korea to handle the resolution of this issue appropriately, but the situation has not improved, so we have taken this action," Suga said on Friday, as quoted by The Bangkok Post.

According to Suga, apart from the temporary recalling of ambassador Yasumasa Nagamine, Japan is also halting currency swap talks.

A South Korean non-profit foundation was set up in December 2015 as a result of an agreement between Seoul and Tokyo over the long-standing issue of "comfort women," a term used to describe Korean women forced to work in wartime brothels for the Japanese military during World War II.

Under the deal, the Japanese government poured 1 billion yen (9.61 million dollars) into the South Korean foundation to care for the surviving comfort women and their families.

Never miss a story again — sign up to our Telegram channel and we'll keep you up to speed!