With many wartime sex slavery victims staunchly resisting the recent settlement with Seoul, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should write a letter to each of them to deliver his sincere atonement and expedite the deal’s execution, a former Japanese leader told The Korea Herald.

Tomiichi Murayama, who offered a watershed apology in 1995 for the country’s sexual enslavement of Korean women and other atrocities, said he “welcomes” Abe’s acknowledgement of the government’s responsibility and apology enshrined in the Dec. 28, 2015, agreement, calling it a “clear step forward” from his previous insistence on conceding to “moral” responsibility only.

Though the pledge of 1 billion yen ($9.1 million) for the launch of a foundation could mean a gesture of penitence, Abe still needs to send dispatches directly to the victims, Murayama said.

“It’s appropriate for the prime minister to deliver a letter expressing his resolve for apology through the Japanese ambassador in Korea,” Murayama said in an email interview ahead of the Jeju Forum, which kicks off on May 25 on the resort island for a three-day run.

After the Asia Women’s Fund was under way, it provided all victims and their families with a letter of apology autographed by four other then-premiers themselves -- Ryutaro Hashimoto, Keizo Obuchi, Yoshiro Mori and Junichiro Koizumi -- he noted.

The program was intended to offer some 360 survivors in Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan and the Netherlands a publicly raised indemnity totaling 565 million yen and state-backed medical support worth 750 million yen. But a majority of the Korean victims refused to take the private reparations they deemed the Japanese government’s effort to deny legal obligation.

The 92-year-old retired politician also raised the need for written messages during his meeting in late March with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, he said. 

“(The letter) should be accepted as an atonement that touches the heart of each and every victim, who are mostly aged and keep to their beds because of illnesses,” Murayama said.

“But the foreign minister just remarked that he is enforcing the deal for the sake of cooperation with Korea, apparently referring to the inception of the foundation and its activities.”

During the conference, Murayama is slated to give a keynote speech and take part in a discussion on its theme, “Asia’s new order and cooperative leadership,” along with other former premiers including Han Seung-soo of South Korea, Mahathir bin Mohamad of Malaysia, Jim Bolger of New Zealand, Goh Chok Tong of Singapore and Enrico Letta of Italy. 

Despite the hard-won compromise, the sides have since made little headway in the face of yet another spat over how to deal with a statue in front of the Japanese Embassy that depicts the women.

Tokyo has been demanding it be taken down before the settlement’s implementation, whereas Seoul argues that its removal was not and could not be a precondition, since it was set up by civic groups.

Unveiling the agreement, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said Seoul recognizes Tokyo’s concerns about the safety of its diplomatic mission and would make efforts to “properly resolve” the issue in consultation with related organizations.

“I think it was not a thoughtful move to reflect Japan’s wish in the settlement regarding a relocation or elimination of the memorial. What’s most important is whether the agreement will be accepted by the Koreans,” Murayama said.

“Even if the people come to approve it, the Korea-Japan relationship faces other problems, such as those associated with historical perception and compensation for the victims, which requires the efforts of the two nations’ people, more from the Japanese side and its government.

“Yet if the comfort women issue gets to settle a bit for the time being, it would have a good impact on exploring other issues, or a bad one on the other side if the agreement fails to bring any progress.”

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)