海角大神

Kim Bok-dong and Kihl Wan-ok, two wizened octogenarian women, do not look as if they could pose much of a threat to US grand strategy in the Pacific. Nor do they intend to do so.

But as President Obama tries to put his 鈥減ivot to Asia鈥� into effect, making the region key to his foreign policy by directing more military forces and diplomatic efforts there, he has hit a snag: the leaders of Washington鈥檚 two biggest allies in Asia, the nations that should be the twin pillars of Mr. Obama鈥檚 policy 鈥� Japan and South Korea 鈥� are barely talking to one another.

And in large part that is because of a few dozen old Korean ladies like Ms. Kim and Ms. Kihl.

They were forcibly recruited by the Japanese army during the Second World War as sex slaves, and they are demanding an apology and compensation from the Japanese government. Tokyo insists it owes the so called 鈥渃omfort women鈥� nothing.

鈥淛apan has leveled insults at them rather than offering an apology,鈥� South Korean President Park Gyeun-hye told visiting US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel last month.

鈥淚 know Japan is an important country to cooperate with for peace and stability in Northeast Asia鈥�but trust has not been established.鈥�

Some people involved in the issue worry that as the handful of surviving victims reach the end of their lives, the time for a change of heart from Japan is running out. 鈥淎nd if they don鈥檛 resolve this, it will continue to weigh on our relationship鈥� into the future, says Yoon Mee-hyang, an activist with the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan.

Continuing provocations聽

Historical grievances relating to Japan鈥檚 behavior towards its neighbors during World War II have long dogged Tokyo鈥檚 relations with China as well as South Korea. Neither feel Japan has shown enough contrition for its war crimes.

The abuse of 鈥渃omfort women鈥� has proved a particularly painful memory, not least because for nearly half a century it was repressed. Only in 1990 did the first South Korean women lift the veil of shame they had drawn over Japan鈥檚 forcible recruitment of an estimated 200,000 young women and girls to serve in military brothels.

Just 56 of the 239 women who publicly acknowledged their experiences are still alive.

The controversy has grown since Shinzo Abe became Japanese prime minister last February. Six years ago, during his first term as prime minister, he argued that there was no evidence that any of the 鈥渃omfort women鈥� had been coerced into prostitution. That contradicted the earlier finding of an official Japanese commission, and caused an outcry around Asia.

Though Mr. Abe has kept quiet this year, 鈥淚 think he still believes that,鈥� says Seo Hyun-ju, an expert in the 鈥渃omfort women鈥� issue at the Northeast Asian History Foundation, a government-funded think tank in Seoul.

Another prominent nationalist Japanese politician, Toru Hashimoto, the mayor of Osaka, earlier this year called the 鈥渃omfort women鈥� system 鈥渘ecessary,鈥� and the government spokesman did not disown the comment.

鈥淭hese continuing provocations just fuel the fire,鈥� says Ms. Yoon. 鈥淭hey make people here furious and the government cannot ignore them.鈥�

A poll earlier this year by a Japanese policy think tank, Genron NPO, found that 76.6 percent of South Koreans had an 鈥渦nfavorable鈥� or 鈥渞elatively unfavorable鈥� impression of Japan, and that for 77 percent of them that was because of Tokyo鈥檚 鈥渋nadequate repentance over the history of its invasion.鈥�

鈥淛apan鈥檚 apology should be sincere and true and come from the bottom of their hearts,鈥� says Yoon Chang-mee, an elegantly dressed woman attending one of the weekly demonstrations outside the Japanese embassy.

Held each聽Wednesday at noon, the protests generally attract a couple of hundred supporters 鈥� largely young people 鈥� who gather round whichever of the increasingly frail victims feels strong enough to attend. For an hour or so they listen to speeches and songs and chant 鈥淛ust Do It鈥� at the red brick embassy across the road.聽

The embassy鈥檚 blinds, however, remain drawn.

Time running out?

Public interest in the fate of the 鈥渃omfort women鈥� has surged, activists say, since a Constitutional Court ruling two years ago that the South Korean government was obliged to be more diplomatically active on behalf of the victims to secure an apology and compensation.

The government鈥檚 passivity, the court found, was a violation of the women鈥檚 human rights.

Yoon Mee-hyang, who leads the聽Wednesday聽demonstrations, says the government鈥檚 efforts are still 鈥渋nsufficient鈥� and Ms. Kim agrees. 鈥淭hey shouldn鈥檛 leave us old women to do all this,鈥� she sniffs. 鈥淭hey should be doing more.鈥�

Seoul has tried repeatedly to engage Tokyo in talks, says Dr. Seo, but the Japanese authorities insist that a 1965 peace treaty ruled out any subsequent reparations and that they are not legally obliged to compensate the 鈥渃omfort women.鈥� South Korean officials argue that the fate of the women was never discussed during negotiations for the 1965 treaty and that it should be addressed now.

Japan鈥檚 refusal to reconsider its position has fueled widespread resentment in South Korea. A planned treaty allowing Tokyo and Seoul to share military information was torpedoed at the last minute in 2012 in the face of public opposition here. The Japanese government has also lodged their own complaints about a statue of a comfort woman built directly across the street from the Japanese embassy in Seoul.聽

鈥淭he whole Korean citizenry is very upset鈥� by the 鈥渃omfort women鈥� issue, President Park told Mr. Hagel. 鈥淩elations with Japan are not a matter of summits; this is a problem that needs to be solved with the Korean people.鈥�

But the time for apologies and compensation is running out, as the 2012 court ruling warned: 鈥渋f there is an additional delay in time, it may be permanently impossible to do justice to history and recover the victims鈥� dignity and value as human beings through settlement of claims,鈥� the court found.聽

鈥淚f there is no sincere apology or compensation by the time the last 鈥榗omfort woman鈥� dies, normalization of diplomatic relations will become very difficult,鈥� says Seo. 鈥淧ublic opinion demands that this issue be fully聽resolved before there is any real cooperation with Japan.鈥�