TOKYO (AP) — Japan's top diplomat says South Korea's government taking action to resolve a legal dispute stemming from South Korean court rulings on forced labor during Japanese colonial rule is emerging as a key diplomatic priority.
Foreign Minister Taro Kono said Wednesday in remarks on the country's diplomatic outlook that the dispute represents deteriorating ties between the two countries.
South Korea's top court recently ordered Japanese companies to compensate Korean plaintiffs who were forced to work at factories and mines during Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.
Kono said Tokyo is waiting for Seoul to take steps to uphold the 1965 compensation treaty that has served as the legal foundation for bilateral relations.
Japan maintains that all wartime compensation issues were settled by the 1965 treaty.
