Japan and South Korea Have Reached a Historic Deal on 'Comfort Women'

South Korea and Japan reached a landmark agreement on Monday to provide compensation to the women who were forced to work as sex slaves, or "comfort women," for Japan's Imperial Army during the World War II.

About one billion yen ($8.3 million) will be taken from Japan's budget and given to a fund that will help the former comfort women. Japan has pledged to apologize and will also coordinate with South Korea on "projects for recovering the honor and dignity and healing the psychological wounds" of the women.

Following a meeting in Seoul, the foreign ministers of both countries said the consensus means the issue has now been "finally and irreversibly resolved."

Reacting to the announcement, former comfort woman Lee Yong-soo, 88, was not so definite, telling reporters: "I will ignore it completely." Lee said the deal still didn't show Japan was taking full "legal responsibility" or offering formal reparations.

Hiroka Shoji, East Asia Researcher at Amnesty International, agreed, saying: "The women were missing from the negotiation table, and they must not be sold short in a deal that is more about political expediency than justice. Until the women get the full and unreserved apology from the Japanese government for the crimes committed against them, the fight for justice goes on."

Tens of thousands of women are believed to have been forced to work in brothels as comfort women between the 1930s and the end of World War II. The women began to come forward in the 1990s to demand compensation and an apology, and the surviving women and activists have been holding weekly protests outside the Japanese embassy in Seoul. Though 238 registered with the South Korean government, only 46 are still alive.

The protests have been emotional, angry, and occasionally dramatic — in August, an 81-year-old South Korean man set himself on fire at one.

Related: South Korean 'Comfort Women' Threaten to Sue Japan for $20 Million in the US

The issue of comfort women has long plagued ties between the Asian neighbours.

"It is historic and epoch-making that such an agreement has been reached," Japan's Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida told a news conference, adding that Japan was "painfully aware" of its responsibilities in the issue.

"Prime Minister [Shinzo] Abe expresses anew his most sincere apologies and remorse to all the women who underwent immeasurable and painful experiences and suffered incurable physical and psychological wounds as 'comfort women,'" he said. "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 Korea's Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said he valued Japan's efforts.

"On the premise that the steps pledged by the Japanese government are earnestly carried out, the Korean government confirms that the matter [of comfort women] is finally and irreversibly resolved," Yun told the news conference.

Both countries have now also agreed to "refrain from accusing or criticizing each other regarding this issue in the international community, including at the United Nations."

The two countries have been pushing to improve relations since Japan's Abe met South Korean President Park Geun-hye last month. That meeting took place partly under pressure from the United States.

Strained relations between Tokyo and Seoul have prevented the two countries from signing an agreement to share sensitive military information, so a year ago they signed a three-way pact under which Seoul routes its information to the US which then passes it on to Japan, and vice versa.

Related: Japan Is Still Denying the Sexual Slavery of Chinese 'Comfort Women'

Monday's announcement is the culmination of decades of wrangling to over the issue of comfort women — past efforts to reach an agreement did not succeed.

Japan had been insisting South Korea state its intention to lay the issue to rest this time, since many officials resent what they see as South Korea's use of the "comfort women" issue for domestic political gain despite past steps taken by Tokyo.

South Korea, for its part, wanted a clearer statement by Japan of its responsibility for the women's suffering.

Still up for debate is the fate of a statue commemorating comfort women that was erected in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul and has been an irritant to Tokyo.

Although South Korea did not agree to remove the statue, Yun said Seoul has recognized Japan's concerns and will hold discussions with the group that erected it to address the issue.

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