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(EDITORIAL from the Korea Times on March 16)
Individual war victims
Tokyo must disclose records, take moral responsibility
The Japanese government has rejected all compensation claims by individual war victims, saying the 1965 Basic Treaty settled it ``once and for all." Yet people with good sense in both countries have wondered whether Tokyo really thinks so, morally if not legally. Recently declassified diplomatic documents indicate, however, the Japanese officials were acknowledging individuals' rights for claims ― not just morally but legally.
At least three documents show Tokyo believed, as early as in 1965, that Korean victims of forced labor, including sex slaves, were eligible to receive individual compensation despite the governmental treaty, thinking it should be separate from individuals' rights for claims.
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