​Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono is said to have admitted that a normalization treaty between Seoul and Tokyo does not terminate individual rights to claim damages. 

According to the online archives of the lower chamber of the Japanese parliament, Kono made the remark on Wednesday while answering a question from a member of the House of Representatives committee on foreign affairs. However, he was quick to add that related situations have been solved nonetheless. 

He repeated several times that the 1965 deal does not strip South Korean individuals of the rights to seek compensation for damages incurred by Japan’s crimes during World War II. 

While criticizing the South Korean top court's ruling against a Japanese company in a lawsuit filed by South Korean victims of forced labor, Kono made remarks that apparently contradicted his latest remarks and denied individual rights to seek recompense.