Foreign Minister Taro Kono said Wednesday he has called on his South Korean counterpart, Kang Kyung-wha, to take "firm and resolute" action over a Supreme Court ruling ordering a Japanese steel firm to compensate four South Koreans subject to forced labor during Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.
"As Minister Kang said, the South Korean government has started discussions as to how to address the matter. We will wait for its decision," Kono told reporters at the Foreign Ministry following phone talks with Kang.
Kono said the government hopes Japanese nationals and companies will not be subjected to detrimental treatment as a result of the ruling, but stopped short of expanding on what kind of actions he believes should be taken.