Japan blames South Korea for worsening ties

September 5, 2019

Tokyo--Japan blamed South Korea on Thursday for worsening bilateral relations.

"The situation has been extremely tense, all because of a series of negative actions made by the South Korean side," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press conference.

These actions include South Korean court rulings ordering Japanese companies to compensate South Koreans for wartime labor, the dissolution of a South Korean foundation set up to help former comfort women and an exit from an intelligence-sharing pact with Japan, Suga said.

"We'll keep urging the South Korean side to act sensibly," Suga added. He made no reference to Japan's tightened controls on exports to South Korea. Jiji Press