Japan uncertain about sending diplomats back to S. Korea

Following fresh tensions between Tokyo and Seoul over the "comfort women" issue, Japan on Tuesday said it was uncertain when it will send back the diplomats it recalled from South Korea.

At a press conference held shortly after the recalled diplomats met Prime Minister Shinzo Abe here, government spokesperson Yoshihide Suga said the government "hasn't decided yet" about their return, Efe news reported.

On January 6, Japan recalled its ambassador in Seoul, Yasumasa Nagamine, as well as its Consul General in Busan, Yasuhiro Morimoto, in protest over a controversial statue, dedicated to comfort women, that was installed in front of its Busan consulate.

The statue symbolises the nearly 200,000 women, teenagers and girls -- mostly Korean -- who were forced into prostitution for Japanese soldiers since the 1930s during the last century, particularly during World War II that ended in 1945.

The comfort women issue has strained Tokyo-Seoul bilateral relations for long and an agreement was signed in 2015 between the two countries that requires Japan to officially apologise along with a compensation of one billion yen ($8.6 million) to restore the honour and dignity of the victims and bring closure to the issue.

"It's extremely important that the governments of both countries faithfully implement the agreement (reached in 2015)," Suga said.

"We are aware that Japan and South Korea share extremely important values, and Japan, the United States and South Korea need to work in coordination, especially now given the severity of issues around North Korea," he added.

--IANS

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