TOKYO (Sputnik) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has urged South Korea to respect its deal on women that were forced to work at Japan’s wartime military brothels.
"It is important that both South Korean and Japanese governments show responsibility when implementing the agreement. Doing the opposite is not constructive," Abe said in a phone call with US Vice President Jo Biden, as quoted by the Kyodo news agency on Friday.
Earlier on Friday, Japan recalled its ambassador to South Korea after a new statue of a comfort woman appeared in front of its consulate in Busan to mark the first anniversary of the 2015 deal, which saw the Japanese government pour $9.61 million into a South Korean foundation to care for the surviving comfort women and their families.
