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Singapore welcomes Japan-South Korea agreement on "comfort women"

Xinhua, December 29, 2015 Adjust font size:

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Tuesday that it welcomes the efforts by Japan and the South Korea after the two reached a landmark agreement in a bid to resolve the issue of "comfort women," a euphemism for Korean women forced into Japan's military brothels during WWII.

"The resolution of these issues will help people in both countries move forward to build trust and reconciliation. This will not only benefit Japan and the ROK (Republic of Korea), but will also enhance regional peace, stability and cooperation," MFA said in a statement.

Under the agreement, Japan agreed to offer 1 billion yen (8.3 million U.S. dollars) in reparations to "comfort women" in South Korea.

During the joint press conference, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida also read a statement in which Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe "expresses apology and remorse from the heart for all the people suffering hard-to-cure wounds and many pains" physically and psychologically. Endit