BREAKING NEWS

Japan envoy returns to S Korea after recall over 'comfort woman' statue

Japan on Tuesday (April 4) sent its ambassador back to South Korea almost three months after recalling him over a statue commemorating Korean women forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War Two.
The two nations in 2015 agreed that the issue of "comfort women", which has long troubled ties between the Asian neighbors, would be "finally and irreversibly resolved" if all conditions of the accord - which included a Japanese apology and a fund to help the victims - were met.
Japan however was angered that a statue near its consulate in the southern South Korean city of Busan, which depicted a young woman sitting barefoot in a chair and was erected at the end of last year, in what they called a violation of that agreement.
Japan said it was returning the Ambassador after having him recalled three months ago due to political flux after the arrest of ousted president Park Geun-hye has meant an ambassador needed to be in place in order to gather information on the situation as well as for maintaining close ties in the face of North Korea's missile and nuclear programs.