TOKYO: Japan and South Korea said Monday they had "finally and irreversibly" resolved a dispute over wartime sex slaves that has bedeviled relations between the two countries for decades.
In something of a surprise development, the two countries' foreign ministers met in Seoul to finalize a deal that will see Japan put $8.3 million into a South Korean fund to support the 46 surviving so-called "comfort women" and to help them recover their "honor and dignity" and heal their "psychological wounds."
The move will be welcomed in Washington, which has been both concerned and annoyed by the fighting between its two closest allies in Asia. This year marks seven decades since the end of World War II and the end of the Japanese occupation of the Korean peninsula.
Independent historians have concluded that as many as 200,000 women and girls - from occupied countries such as Korea, China, the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations - were coerced by the Japanese Imperial Army to work as sex slaves during the war.
"We made a final and irreversible solution at this 70th anniversary milestone," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters in Tokyo after speaking to his South Korean counterpart, President Park Geun-hye, on the phone.
Earlier, in Seoul, his foreign minister had said Abe "expresses anew his most sincere apologies and remorse to all the women who underwent immeasurable and painful experiences."
"I feel we've fulfilled the responsibility of the generation living now," Abe said after his call with Park. "I'd like this to be a trigger for Japan and South Korea to cooperate and open a new era."
In Seoul, Park said it was "especially meaningful" to reach the agreement before the end of 2015, the 50th anniversary of normalized relations between Japan and South Korea.
"The most important thing is for Japan to diligently and promptly implement what has been agreed to restore comfort women victims' honor and dignity and heal their wounded hearts," Park said, according to the Yonhap News Agency, after meeting with Fumio Kishida, Japan's foreign minister.
Seoul promised this would be the end of the dispute - which has been officially "resolved" before - if Japan fulfills its side of the agreement. It comes less than two months after the two leaders held their first summit, and after the resolution of a high-profile court-case, with a Japanese journalist this month acquitted of defaming Park.
South Korea, Japan reach settlement on wartime Korean sex slaves
South Korea, Japan reach settlement on wartime Korean sex slaves
Winter storm packing snow and strong winds to descend on Great Lakes, Northeast
- The fierce winds on Lake Erie sent water surging toward the basin’s eastern end near Buffalo, New York, while lowering water on the western side in Michigan to expose normally submerged lakebed — even the wreck of a car and a snowmobile
NEW YORK: A wild winter storm was expected to bring strong winds, heavy snow and frigid temperatures to the Great Lakes and Northeast on Tuesday, a day after a bomb cyclone barreled across the northern US and left tens of thousands of customers without power.
The storm that hit parts of the Plains and Great Lakes on Monday brought sharply colder air, strong winds and a mix of snow, ice and rain, leading to treacherous travel. Forecasters said it intensified quickly enough to meet the criteria of a bomb cyclone, a system that strengthens rapidly as pressure drops.
Nationwide, more than 127,000 customers were without power Tuesday morning, more than a third of them in Michigan, according to Poweroutage.us.
BACKGROUND
The storm that hit parts of the Plains and Great Lakes on Monday brought sharply colder air, strong winds and a mix of snow, ice and rain, leading to treacherous travel.
As the storm moved into Canada, the National Weather Service predicted more inclement weather conditions for the Eastern US, including quick bursts of heavy snow and gusty winds known as snow squalls. Blustery winds were expected to add to the arctic chill, with low temperatures dipping below freezing as far south as the Florida panhandle, the agency said.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul warned that whiteout conditions were expected Tuesday in parts of the state, including the Syracuse metro area.
“If you’re in an impacted area, please avoid all unnecessary travel,” she said in a post on the social platform X.
Snow piled up quickly in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on Monday, where as much as 2 feet (60 centimeters) fell in some areas, according to the National Weather Service. Meteorologist Ryan Metzger said additional snow was expected in the coming days, although totals would be far lighter.
Waves on Lake Superior that were expected to reach 20 feet (6 meters) on Monday sent all but one cargo ship into harbors for shelter, according to MarineTraffic.com.
The fierce winds on Lake Erie sent water surging toward the basin’s eastern end near Buffalo, New York, while lowering water on the western side in Michigan to expose normally submerged lakebed — even the wreck of a car and a snowmobile.
Kevin Aldrich, 33, a maintenance worker from Monroe, Michigan, said he has never seen the lake recede so much and was surprised on Monday to spot remnants of piers dating back to the 1830s. He posted photos on social media of wooden pilings sticking up several feet from the muck.
“Where those are at would typically be probably 12 feet deep,” he said. “We can usually drive our boat over them.”
Dangerous wind chills plunged as low as minus 30 F (minus 34 C) across parts of North Dakota and Minnesota on Monday. And in northeast West Virginia, rare, nearly hurricane-force winds were recorded on a mountain near Dolly Sods, according to the National Weather Service.
In Iowa, after blizzard conditions eased by Monday morning, high winds continued blowing snow across roadways, keeping more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) of Interstate 35 closed. State troopers reported dozens of crashes during the storm, including one that killed a person.
On the West Coast, the National Weather Service warned that moderate to strong Santa Ana winds were expected in parts of Southern California through Tuesday, raising concerns about downed trees in areas where recent storms had saturated the soil. Two more storms were forecast later this week, with rain on New Year’s Day potentially soaking the Rose Parade in Pasadena for the first time in about two decades.
