Japan Offers Reparations to South Korea over WWII Sex Slavery

As a way to boost bilateral relations, Japan has offered an official apology and reparations to South Korea Monday for operating a network of sexual slavery during World War II.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has promised 1 billion yen (US$8.3 million) for a fund to help survivors of the sexual slavery operation as part of an agreement with South Korea to heal a historic scar that has long daunted relations between the two countries.

During World War II, Japan sent tens of thousands of Asian women, mostly Korean, to front-line military brothers to provide sex to its soldiers.

In South Korea, there are 46 survivors left from the sexual enslavement project, also known as “comfort women.”

"Prime Minister Abe expresses anew his most sincere apologies and remorse to all the women who underwent immeasurable and painful experiences," Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida told a news conference in Seoul.

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Calling the agreement "epoch-making," Kishida told added: "I believe this has set up a stage for advancement of security cooperation between Japan and South Korea, as well as among Japan, the United States and South Korea."

South Korean President Park Geun-hye similarly expressed “that since the two governments worked through a difficult process to reach this agreement, they can cooperate closely to start building trust and open a new relationship."

Washington welcomed the agreement as way to secure a stronger bonds between the three nations.

"The world simply can't afford for Japan, Korea and the U.S. to operate at anything less than full capacity in terms of our security cooperation," a senior U.S. Department of State official told Reuters.