Japan: "Forced Labor at Sado Mine... Cannot Accept South Korea's Claim"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Japanese government announced on the 21st that it cannot accept the South Korean government's claim that forced labor of Koreans took place at the Sado Mine during the Japanese colonial period.

Seiji Kihara, Japan's Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, responded to a question about the Japanese government's stance on South Korea's opposition to the nomination of the Sado Mine as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, citing forced Korean labor during the Pacific War, saying, "We cannot accept the Korean side's claim regarding forced labor at the Sado Mine at all," and added, "We have strongly expressed our position to the Korean side."

When asked further, "Through what channel was the message that the Korean side's claim cannot be accepted conveyed?" he said, "On December 28 last year, the charg? d'affaires of the Japanese Embassy in Korea expressed this position to the Director-General of the Public and Cultural Diplomacy Bureau of the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara said, "There have been many reports in South Korea that are contrary to the facts. This is extremely regrettable," and added, "We will continue to explain Japan's position to the international community."

Earlier, on the 28th of last month, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated regarding the selection of the Sado Mine as a candidate for World Heritage by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs Cultural Council, "It is a site of forced labor victimization of Koreans (Joseon people)," and said, "We are deeply outraged and urge an immediate withdrawal of this nomination."

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara's remarks on this day were intended to refute the South Korean government's position that forced Korean labor occurred at the Japanese Sado Mine during the colonial period.

The Japanese government plans to decide by the 1st of next month whether to officially nominate the Sado Mine as a UNESCO World Heritage candidate. According to local media, considering the possibility of rejection by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee due to South Korea's opposition, the Japanese government is reviewing the possibility of postponing the nomination of the Sado Mine.