Tokyo is reportedly moving quickly to craft diplomatic measures to deal with a South Korean court’s decision that approved the seizure of assets from a Japanese firm implicated in wartime forced labor.

After the Japanese government called for discussions with Seoul on the issue on Wednesday, Japanese media outlets said Tokyo is already considering an arbitrary committee including third party members or the International Court of Justice(ICJ) as possible next steps to resolve the issue. 

An official of the Japanese Foreign Ministry told Yomiuri Shimbun that Japan has not changed its stance that it will wait for Seoul’s response to its request for talks on the issue. 

However, it is known that Japan has already embarked on working-level preparation to bring the case to the ICJ and is searching for international law experts who will represent Japan on the case. 

There is speculation that Japan will seek international support for its long-standing claim that a normalization treaty with South Korea in 1965 has completely resolved all colonial issues between the two countries.