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Treaty on Basic Relations between the Republic of Korea and Japan refers collectively to the Treaty on Basic Relations between the Republic of Korea and Japan, signed on June 22, 1965, and entering into force on December 18 of the same year, together with its four accompanying agreements. These agreements normalized diplomatic relations between South Korea and Japan. A major limitation, however, was that issues arising from Japan’s colonial rule were not fully resolved. In particular, the Korea–Japan Claims Agreement (the Agreement on the Settlement of Problems concerning Property and Claims and on Economic Cooperation between the Republic of Korea and Japan) has become a major legal and political obstacle in addressing compensation claims by victims of forced mobilization and Japanese military “Comfort Women” survivors against Japanese companies and the Japanese government. In 2005, the South Korean government, through the Joint Government-Civilian Committee on Follow-up Measures after the Disclosure of Documents Related to the Korea-Japan Talks, stated that inhumane and unlawful acts involving the Japanese government and military could not be regarded as having been resolved by the Korea–Japan Claims Agreement. On October 30, 2018, the Supreme Court of Korea likewise ruled, in a damages lawsuit brought by victims of forced mobilization against a Japanese company, that individual claims for compensation had not been extinguished by the Korea–Japan Claims Agreement.

A civil war fought for control of China between the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) and the Chinese Communist Party. It unfolded in two major phases, from 1927 to 1937 and from 1945 to 1949. The Chinese Communist Party, led by Mao Zedong, ultimately prevailed, forcing Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalist government to retreat to Taiwan. The Communist Party took control of mainland China and established the People’s Republic of China, while the Republic of China continued to govern Taiwan.

Also known as the Treaty of Peace with Japan, it formally ended the state of war between Japan and most of the Allied powers, terminated the Allied occupation, restored Japan’s sovereignty, and established provisions concerning compensation and other postwar settlements. The treaty was signed by forty-nine countries on September 8, 1951, at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco and entered into force on April 28, 1952. China was not invited because of disagreement over whether the Republic of China or the People’s Republic of China represented the Chinese people. Korea was also excluded amid disagreement over whether South Korea or North Korea represented the Korean people. Italy was likewise not a signatory. As the Cold War intensified, the treaty increasingly reflected anti-communist strategic priorities rather than a comprehensive effort to hold Japan accountable for its wartime aggression. Consequently, several countries that had suffered directly from Japanese invasion and colonial rule were excluded from the negotiations and signing. The treaty also failed to establish a thorough settlement of Japan’s responsibility to provide reparations for war crimes and colonial rule.

Published in 2013 by Park Yu-ha, a professor at Sejong University, the book ‘Comfort Women of the Empire‘ presents an analysis of the Japanese Military ´Comfort Women´ issue from an empire-colony perspective. The book caused controversy for describing the Korean ´Comfort Women´ as the “Comfort Women of the Empire” and interpreting that they had comradeship with the Japanese Army. In June 2014, nine victims residing in the House of Sharing, a residential facility for the Japanese Military ´Comfort Women´ victims, filed for an injunction against the publication of the book and also filed a libel suit against the author, Professor Park Yu-ha. In February 2015, the court partially approved the injunction against the publication of the book, citing that the book cannot be published, sold, distributed, or advertised unless 34 passages from the book were deleted. As a result, the second edition of the book was published with the 34 passages redacted. Meanwhile, in January 2016, the court partially ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in the damage claim suit filed by the nine victims, declaring that the plaintiffs be compensated with a total of 90 million won (10 million won for each plaintiffs). The criminal proceedings is pending at the Supreme Court as of September 2020, after the declaration of an acquittal in the first trial and a monetary penalty in the second trial.

Denis Mukwege is a Congolese gynecologist and human rights advocate known for his work treating survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 for his efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. His work inspired the establishment of the Mukwege Foundation, an international organization that supports survivors, advocates for their rights, and promotes accountability for perpetrators of conflict-related sexual violence. Visit the Mukwege Foundation's website for details: https://www.mukwegefoundation.org