Overview

• A South Korean appellate court has ordered Japan to compensate 16 women who were forced into sexual slavery during World War II, overturning a previous ruling that dismissed the case.
• The court ruled that 'sovereign immunity' should not be respected in cases of illegal conduct, and ordered the payment of 200 million won ($154,000) to each of the plaintiffs.
• Japan insists that a 1965 treaty, which restored diplomatic ties and included a reparations package, settled all claims relating to the colonial period.
• Japan's Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa called the ruling 'contrary to international law and agreements between the two countries', and 'extremely regrettable and absolutely unacceptable'.
• The ruling comes as the conservative South Korean government of President Yoon Suk Yeol has sought to improve ties with Tokyo to jointly confront growing military threats from North Korea.