Seoul, Tokyo need to move beyond history to grow ties

MORE than 70 years after the end of World War Two, the painful and sensitive issue of war-time forced labour is again casting shadows over relations between Japan and South Korea. The dispute threatens cooperation between the two countries at a critical point in East Asian security and is also raising questions about the South Korean government's commitment to reconciliation efforts.

The latest flashpoints are the recent decisions by South Korea's Supreme Court to uphold compensation awards against Japanese companies for their wartime conduct, and a deadlocked meeting between Japanese lawmakers and their South Korean counterparts in Seoul earlier this month.

In landmark judgements in October and November, the court confirmed awards of around US$100,000 to each of the victims who had brought the cases. Its decisions open the way for further claims against nearly 70 more Japanese companies.