Kono denies S Korean account of talks; calls for appropriate response

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono has denied the South Korean Foreign Ministry's account of discussions at a recent bilateral meeting, calling on Seoul for an appropriate response.

An official at the South Korean Foreign Ministry said Saturday, the day after the meeting between Foreign Minister Kang Kyung Wha and Kono, that the Japanese minister did not mention the recent comments by its National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee Sang seeking an apology from Japanese Emperor Akihito to resolve a dispute over women who were forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels. But Kono said he conveyed Japan's protest over the speaker's comments during the meeting held in Munich on the sidelines of an annual security conference.

"I (asked South Korea) to take an appropriate response to the matter," Kono told reporters. "As we have repeatedly demanded a retraction and apology, I believe (South Korea) understands what we want to say." In an interview with Bloomberg news service, the speaker called on the emperor to apologize before his upcoming abdication this year. The remarks prompted the Japanese government to lodge a protest with Seoul and demand the speaker retract them, raising tensions further between the two countries that have been soured over wartime issues.

Source: https://japantoday.com/category/politics/Kono-denies-S-Korean-account-of-talks-calls-for-appropriate-response