The historic "comfort women" agreement made progress Friday as Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said Tokyo and Seoul have largely agreed to spend some of Japan's ¥1 billion contribution on medical and nursing care for the survivors.
How the money will be used has become a significant hurdle in the deal for Japan, which for legal reasons wants to avoid the perception it is making reparations.
In telephone talks with South Korean counterpart Yun Byung-se, the pair discussed completing the payment in accordance with the agreement they signed in December to permanently settle the issue. Kishida said the government will work out the process to release the funds "as soon as possible."