In response to the South Korean top court's ruling to order Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. to compensate former requisitioned workers, the government intends to make companies facing a similar suit fully understand that the compensation issue has been "settled."
The government started on Wednesday three-day explanatory meetings for such companies to make them understand the government's position, telling them to reject compensation and settlements with plaintiffs.
In South Korea, there are a total of 14 similar suits in which former requisitioned workers are seeking compensation from Japanese companies. With a ruling by the South Korean Supreme Court over former requisitioned workers (see below) on Tuesday, court orders to pay compensation may be given to other defendant firms embroiled in similar suits, including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. and Nachi-Fujikoshi Corp.
The Foreign Ministry, the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry, the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry and the Justice Ministry are jointly holding the explanatory meetings three times through Friday.
In the meetings, the government is explaining its position that the issue of former requisitioned workers was legally resolved under the 1965 Agreement on the Settlement of Problems Concerning Property and Claims and on the Economic Cooperation Between Japan and the Republic of Korea.
The government is also explaining to the participating firms that Japan is asking South Korea to correct the current situation in which Seoul is violating international law.
By sharing views with those companies over how to deal with the issue, the government hopes they will not suffer unreasonable disadvantages.
"We'll do our utmost to protect the interests of our nation's companies," said Toshiko Abe, state minister for foreign affairs, at a joint conference of the Liberal Democratic Party's Foreign Affairs Division and other party organs on Thursday.
The government plans to actively support those companies. It has already asked the South Korean government to take measures to prevent adverse impacts on Japanese companies such as asset seizures.
However, the situation is unpredictable. For example, it is uncertain how South Korea will react when Japanese companies reject making compensation payments.
The government also will likely need to discuss using public funds to cover expenses for the suits in place of the Japanese companies.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stressed on Thursday that Japan will resolutely respond to the issue.
"The Japanese government will act resolutely, keeping all options open -- such as [bringing the case to] the international court [of Justice]," Abe said at a House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting, referring to the South Korean top court's ruling. "South Korea's efforts also are indispensable and we strongly hope that the South Korean government will take a positive response with regard to the ruling."
-- Ruling by the South Korean Supreme Court over former requisitioned workers
The South Korean Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. on Tuesday, allowing a lower court ruling ordering the company to compensate four former South Korean requisitioned workers, who were mobilized from 1941 to 1943 during Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. The top court upheld a ruling handed down by the Seoul High Court in July 2013 that ordered the company to pay 100 million won (about 9.9 million yen) to each of those former requisitioned workers.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
