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Japan mulls 'various options' against S. Korea comfort women ruling

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Kyodo News

<p>TOKYO - Japan is contemplating &quot;various options&quot; and will act resolutely in response to a recent South Korean court ruling ordering the Japanese government to pay damages to former &quot;comfort women,&quot; a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Wednesday.</p><p>&quot;Japan urges South Korea to take appropriate action to correct this violation of international law,&quot; Press Secretary Tomoyuki Yoshida told a press conference, stressing that it is up to the South Korean side to &quot;bring wisdom together&quot; to come up with a solution.</p><p>Some lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party have pressured the government to take decisive action against South Korea following Friday&#x27;s ruling.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/01/08/21/south-korean-court-orders-japan-to-compensate-former-sex-slaves-yonhap">South Korean court orders Japan to compensate former sex slaves: Yonhap</a></li></ul><p>At a party meeting on Tuesday, the lawmakers said the government should take Seoul to the International Court of Justice or delay installing its new ambassador to South Korea, Koichi Aiboshi.</p><p>&quot;As it would mean putting one&#x27;s cards on the table, I cannot say what kind of action we may take or its timing,&quot; Yoshida said. &quot;We will closely watch how the South Korean side will respond.&quot;</p><p>The Seoul Central District Court ordered the Japanese government to pay 100 million won ($91,000) each to 12 former comfort women as they had demanded, further souring bilateral relations that have already sunk to a historic low over trade and wartime labor issues.</p><p>Tokyo has said compensation issues related to comfort women were settled by a 1965 agreement between the two countries and that the ruling also violates a bilateral accord struck in 2015 to &quot;finally and irreversibly&quot; resolve the comfort women issue.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/12/29/15/south-korea-japan-agree-to-irreversibly-end-comfort-women-row">South Korea, Japan agree to irreversibly end &#x27;comfort women&#x27; row</a></li></ul><p>But South Korea&#x27;s Foreign Ministry spokesman said in remarks on Friday that the government respects the court&#x27;s decision.</p><p>On Wednesday, Yoshida condemned Seoul&#x27;s action, saying, &quot;The ruling is absolutely unthinkable in terms of international law and bilateral relations and has resulted in an abnormal situation.&quot;</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/07/27/20/statues-of-girl-kneeling-man-stir-debate-in-s-korea">Statues of girl, kneeling man stir debate in S. Korea</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/05/11/20/s-korea-civic-group-vows-to-continue-comfort-women-protest-rallies">S. Korea civic group vows to continue &quot;comfort women&quot; protest rallies</a></li></ul><p>==Kyodo</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO FROM THE ARCHIVES</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wSbSDKoX_Sc?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>TOKYO - Japan is contemplating "various options" and will act resolutely in response to a recent South Korean court ruling ordering the Japanese government to pay damages to former "comfort women," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Wednesday.</p>

TOKYO - Japan is contemplating "various options" and will act resolutely in response to a recent South Korean court ruling ordering the Japanese government to pay damages to former "comfort women," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Wednesday.