Japan weighs sanctions against South Korea as rift over wartime use of forced labour deepens
- Lawyers representing South Koreans forced to work for Japan’s steel giant issued an ultimatum on Tuesday, threatening to freeze the companies assets if compensation was not discussed
- The threat prompted indignation in Tokyo, where members of Shinzo Abe’s government have discussed recalling the ambassador to Seoul and the seizure of South Korean government assets in Japan
The Japanese government is weighing sanctions against South Korea after the row over wartime forced labour escalated, further reopening old wounds stemming from the period of Tokyo’s colonial rule.
Lawyers representing South Koreans forced to work for Japan’s Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal told a press conference in Tokyo on Tuesday they have set the company a deadline of 5pm on December 24 to respond to their request to discuss compensation.
If the company does not respond to the ultimatum, they said, the lawyers will apply to courts in South Korea to freeze part of its assets there. Nippon Steel holds about 2.34 million shares in PNR, a joint venture with South Korean steelmaker Posco, lawyer Lim Jae-sung said.
Nippon Steel released a statement saying it maintains the issue has been settled and it is in consultations with the government on the legal challenge, while Yoshihide Suga, the chief cabinet secretary, said the government will “respond appropriately”.
Sources have told the South China Morning Post, however, that behind the diplomatic facade, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is “absolutely indignant” and a meeting of members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Tuesday evening became “extremely heated”.