Finance Minister Taro Aso said tariffs were among the measures Japan could take against South Korea if a dispute over wartime labor worsens between the major trading partners.
In response to a lawmaker's questions in the Diet, Aso said that matters had not reached that stage yet, but halting remittances or stopping visa issuance could also be considered if more damage were to be caused. His comments came after the Sankei newspaper reported Sunday that South Korean lawyers were considering an attempt to seize the assets of Japanese companies in Europe.
Fractious ties between the two countries have turned hostile over a series of lawsuits regarding wartime labor filed against Japanese companies whose roots can be traced back to the 1910-1945 period when Japan controlled the Korean Peninsula. Japan says all claims relating to the colonial period were settled under an economic cooperation pact attached to a 1965 treaty that normalized ties, which was accompanied by a payment of $300 million, and that South Korea should be responsible for any compensation.