Kishida: "Historical Awareness Will Be Inherited from Previous Cabinets"

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated on the 6th regarding compensation for victims of forced mobilization during the Japanese colonial period, "(Regarding historical awareness) we have comprehensively inherited the stance of successive cabinets and intend to continue doing so."

On the same day, at the House of Councillors Budget Committee, Prime Minister Kishida responded to a question from Councillor Masahisa Sato about Japan-Korea relations by saying this, and added, "It is important to appropriately convey in the future that the government is comprehensively inheriting the stance and historical awareness of successive cabinets."

This is interpreted as a commitment to uphold the 1998 'Kim Dae-jung-Obuchi' Joint Declaration, which includes a comprehensive apology for Japan's colonial rule and aggressive war, as well as the 1995 'Murayama Statement.'

However, regarding Councillor Sato's remark that the Prime Minister should not directly say the words "reflection and apology," Kishida avoided a direct answer, saying, "Coordination is being made between the diplomatic authorities of both countries, so I think it is not appropriate to speak specifically."

On whether to lift export restrictions on semiconductor materials to South Korea, he explained, "Since it was implemented from a security perspective, it is separate from the forced mobilization issue," but also said, "I understand that the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has requested an appropriate response from the Korean side, including the suspension of the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute resolution process initiated by South Korea."

The South Korean government is expected to announce a solution to the compensation ruling for victims of forced mobilization under Japanese rule within the day. The main content of the solution is likely to be a 'third-party payment' system, where Korean companies voluntarily contribute donations to compensate for the ruling amount instead of the war crime companies.

Kyodo News reported that after the South Korean government’s announcement, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi is scheduled to express his views on the forced mobilization issue.