South Korean court’s order angers Japan

SEOUL: South Korea’s top court ruled on Thursday that Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd must compensate 10 South Koreans for their forced labour during World War Two, a ruling that drew an immediate rebuke from Tokyo.

The decision echoed the Supreme Court’s landmark verdict last month that ruled in favour of South Koreans seeking compensation from Japan’s Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. for their wartime forced labour.

It upheld a 2013 appeals court decision that Mitsubishi must pay 80 million won ($71,000) to each of ive labourers or their families in compensation. In a separate ruling, the court also ordered Mitsubishi to pay up to 150 million won to each of another ive plaintiffs or their families.

Mitsubishi called the verdict “deeply regrettable”, saying in a statement that it would discuss its response with the Japanese government.

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono quickly issued a statement in which he said the court’s decisions were “totally unacceptable”.

“This fundamentally overturns the legal basis for friendly ties between Japan and South Korea and is extremely regrettable,” Kono said.

Kono urged Seoul to take steps to ensure “fair economic activity” for Japanese irms or Tokyo would consider its options, including referring the case to an international court.

A senior oficial at Seoul’s foreign ministry said the government respected the ruling and would craft measures in a way that could heal the victims’ wounds but at the same time foster future relations with Japan.