South Korea Japan Relations

A South Korean court on Thursday ordered Japan to compensate 16 women over wartime forced sexual slavery, overturning a lower-court ruling that had dismissed the case.

North Korea said it successfully placed its first spy satellite in orbit on Tuesday and vowed to launch more in the near future, defying international condemnation from the United States and its allies.

North Korea appears to be preparing for its third attempt this year at launching a reconnaissance satellite, a move that may prove as controversial as the nuclear-armed country's weapons tests.

Japan's plan to release treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant would have "negligible consequences" for South Korea, Seoul said Friday as it tries to assuage rising public concern.

Relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points in years, with diplomacy stalled and Kim Jong Un declaring his country an "irreversible" nuclear power, as well as calling for ramped-up weapons production.

The US is "banding together" with nations like India, Australia, Japan and South Korea to ensure that the sovereignty of Indo-Pacific nations is protected and that they are not subjected to any coercion, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said.

Japan said on Tuesday it had lodged a complaint with South Korea and after a Korean lawmaker said the Japanese emperor should apologise to "comfort women" forced to serve in Japanese military brothels in World War Two.

The US-China spat is one of several trade fights picked by the protectionist President Donald Trump as his "America First" agenda clashes with free-trade relations with traditional allies.

China's foreign minister sought Thursday to downplay concerns about Beijing's global ambitions, while also hinting at consequences for countries that don't fall in line on issues like Taiwan.

Japan on Friday welcomed a World Trade Organization ruling that called for South Korea to lift an import ban on Japanese seafood, imposed after the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Analysts from the US, South Korea and Japan believe the 4,500-kilometre range Hwasong-12 missile had a longer range than any previous ballistic missile launched by Kim Jong-Un's North Korea, putting US bases on the Pacific Ocean island of Guam within reach.

New Pentagon chief James Mattis on Wednesday heads to South Korea and Japan, where he will seek to reassure the key US allies about American security commitments in the region.

A South Korean political vacuum and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's concerns about his conservative political base have rekindled a feud over wartime history, just as tension over North Korea makes cooperation between the US allies as vital as ever.

Hundreds of South Korean protesters joined two surviving former "comfort women" today to denounce an agreement with Japan to resolve an issue stemming from Japan's wartime past that has long plagued ties between neighbours.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said today that a landmark agreement between Japan and South Korea on the issue of wartime sex slaves heralds a "new era" in relations between the two countries.

A South Korean court on Thursday ordered Japan to compensate 16 women over wartime forced sexual slavery, overturning a lower-court ruling that had dismissed the case.

North Korea said it successfully placed its first spy satellite in orbit on Tuesday and vowed to launch more in the near future, defying international condemnation from the United States and its allies.

North Korea appears to be preparing for its third attempt this year at launching a reconnaissance satellite, a move that may prove as controversial as the nuclear-armed country's weapons tests.

Japan's plan to release treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant would have "negligible consequences" for South Korea, Seoul said Friday as it tries to assuage rising public concern.

Relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points in years, with diplomacy stalled and Kim Jong Un declaring his country an "irreversible" nuclear power, as well as calling for ramped-up weapons production.

The US is "banding together" with nations like India, Australia, Japan and South Korea to ensure that the sovereignty of Indo-Pacific nations is protected and that they are not subjected to any coercion, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said.

Japan said on Tuesday it had lodged a complaint with South Korea and after a Korean lawmaker said the Japanese emperor should apologise to "comfort women" forced to serve in Japanese military brothels in World War Two.

The US-China spat is one of several trade fights picked by the protectionist President Donald Trump as his "America First" agenda clashes with free-trade relations with traditional allies.

China's foreign minister sought Thursday to downplay concerns about Beijing's global ambitions, while also hinting at consequences for countries that don't fall in line on issues like Taiwan.

Japan on Friday welcomed a World Trade Organization ruling that called for South Korea to lift an import ban on Japanese seafood, imposed after the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Analysts from the US, South Korea and Japan believe the 4,500-kilometre range Hwasong-12 missile had a longer range than any previous ballistic missile launched by Kim Jong-Un's North Korea, putting US bases on the Pacific Ocean island of Guam within reach.

New Pentagon chief James Mattis on Wednesday heads to South Korea and Japan, where he will seek to reassure the key US allies about American security commitments in the region.

A South Korean political vacuum and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's concerns about his conservative political base have rekindled a feud over wartime history, just as tension over North Korea makes cooperation between the US allies as vital as ever.

Hundreds of South Korean protesters joined two surviving former "comfort women" today to denounce an agreement with Japan to resolve an issue stemming from Japan's wartime past that has long plagued ties between neighbours.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said today that a landmark agreement between Japan and South Korea on the issue of wartime sex slaves heralds a "new era" in relations between the two countries.