Japan yesterday warned of “serious” ramifications if a South Korean court ruling to seize assets of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd as compensation over colonial-era forced labor is enforced.
The families of four South Koreans who were forced to work for Mitsubishi during the 1910-to-1945 Japanese colonial rule this month filed a lawsuit to seize about 853 million won (US$725,000) owed by a South Korean firm to the Japanese company.
The South Korean Supreme Court in 2018 ordered Mitsubishi to compensate the victims, but the company has not done so amid a diplomatic feud between the two countries, with Japan arguing that the matter was settled under a 1965 treaty.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Seoul and Tokyo have long been at odds over restitution for South Koreans forced to work in Japanese firms and military brothels during the colonial era.
Relations have soured to their lowest ebbs in decades, as the row over forced labor spilled into a trade dispute, and rekindled history and territorial spats.
The Suwon District Court late on Wednesday approved the seizure, banning the Korean company from paying the money to Mitsubishi and allowing the victims to collect it.
The verdict drew a strong rebuke from Japan, with a government spokesman calling for Seoul to act to resolve the dispute.
“If it’s liquidated, that would push Japan-South Korea relations into a serious situation. It must be avoided,” Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters. “We want to urge South Korea even more strongly to present a solution that is acceptable to Japan.”
The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it has been in talks with Japan to find a “reasonable solution” while considering how the victims can exercise their legal rights, as well as diplomatic relations.
A Mitsubishi spokesperson declined to comment, saying that the company was trying to confirm details on the ruling.
Lawyers for the victims said that if the Japanese company continues refusing to implement the order, they would directly collect the funds from the Korean company, LS Mtron Ltd.
“The victims and their families demand Mitsubishi make compensation in line with the ruling, acknowledge historical facts and provide an apology,” the lawyers said in a statement, adding that their clients are “open to consultations on this.”
An official at LS Mtron, a machinery subsidiary of LS Corp, told Reuters that it shares the pain suffered by the victims and would follow the court decision, but needs to verify details.
Last month, South Korean President Moon Jae-in scrapped a plan to visit Tokyo for the Olympic Games and hold his first summit with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga amid controversy over remarks by a Seoul-based Japanese diplomat.
Moon, marking the anniversary of his country’s independence from Japan on Sunday, said that his government remained open to dialogue with Japan to resolve problems.
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